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Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
IRSA: Lighting Up the Future, Connecting the World Yarlung Tsangpo Hydropower Project Breaks Ground, Marking a New Pinnacle in China's Mega Infrastructure
New York, July 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to International Relations Study Association(IRSA), on July 19, 2025, in Motuo County, a remote border town in Nyingchi, Tibet Autonomous Region of China, a single blast announced a feat destined to reshape the global energy landscape—the groundbreaking of the Yarlung Tsangpo Lower Reaches Hydropower Project. Premier of China's State Council Li Qiang attended the ceremony in person, officially launching a mega project that embodies China's far-sighted strategic vision as it enters its construction phase. Massive Investment, Vision for the Long Term The Lower Reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo Hydropower Project involves a staggering investment of 1.2 trillion CNY (approximately USD 165 billion)—equivalent to the combined cost of five Three Gorges Dams, four Sichuan–Tibet Railways, or ten Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridges. The plan calls for five large-scale hydropower stations to be built in cascade along the lower reaches of the river. With a total installed capacity of 60 to 81 gigawatts, the project is expected to generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, roughly three times the output of the Three Gorges Dam. Slated for full completion by 2035, it will undoubtedly become a transformative force in reshaping both China's and the world's energy landscape, showcasing the Chinese government's long-term commitment to energy security and green development. Unprecedented Challenges, Technology in the Lead Transforming the surging waters of the 'Roof of the World' into clean energy that lights up the future poses engineering challenges at the very pinnacle of human endeavor. Located in a seismically active zone where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, the project site has a history of earthquakes exceeding magnitude 8.5. The construction of its tunnels requires traversing 17 geological fault zones deep within the rock strata, with a maximum depth of 3,000 meters. Confronted with such extreme conditions, Chinese engineers have delivered hardcore solutions: all core structures are designed to withstand magnitude 8.5 earthquakes; the 'Tian Kun' mega shield tunneling machine, developed domestically, is set to break world records with a monthly excavation speed of 600 meters; leveraging advanced ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission technology, the project will deliver Tibet's clean hydropower over 3,000 kilometers to China's Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta with stability and minimal loss. This monumental undertaking demonstrates China's unrivaled capacity in mega infrastructure and its excellence in cutting-edge technology. Clean Energy, Outstanding Benefits According to the construction blueprint, the five cascade hydropower stations along the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo will operate in synergy, delivering multiple benefits. At its core lies enormous power generation capacity—producing approximately 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the annual electricity needs of 300 million people. The project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 300 million tons per year, equivalent to replacing 90 million tons of standard coal. It will provide strong support for China's 'carbon peaking and carbon neutrality' goals, highlighting the country's commitment to global climate governance and its responsibility as a major nation. Meanwhile, the cascade reservoirs will function as a massive 'power battery', effectively smoothing out grid fluctuations and significantly enhancing the stability of the power network in Southwest China, laying a solid foundation for 'transmitting Tibetan hydropower to the rest of the country.' Boosting Domestic Demand, Advancing Shared Prosperity The Yarlung Tsangpo Hydropower Mega Project serves as a powerful engine for stimulating domestic demand and promoting balanced regional development in China. Spanning a 15-year construction period, the project is expected to directly create over 800,000 jobs and indirectly generate employment for more than 3 million people across the upstream and downstream segments of the infrastructure supply chain. It will significantly upgrade Tibet's infrastructure in electricity, water conservancy, and transportation, removing long-standing bottlenecks that have constrained economic growth in southeastern Tibet. The project is projected to contribute over 20 billion CNY in annual fiscal revenue to the region, improving local livelihoods and embodying China's vision of achieving common prosperity for all its people. This strategic endeavor reflects the government's commitment to balanced regional growth and the development of border areas, reinforcing social and economic stability while sharing the dividends of progress. Ecology First, Balanced Development What makes the project especially noteworthy is China's commitment to embedding the principle of 'ecology first' throughout the entire construction process. To minimize environmental impact on the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, the project adopts an innovative 'river shortcut and deep-tunnel' approach, with 97% of facilities embedded deep within the mountains, leaving only essential ecological monitoring stations visible on the surface. For the 12 religious sites affected by reservoir flooding, 150 million CNY was invested in high-precision 3D scanning to create permanent digital archives. A comprehensive monitoring network—combining satellites, aerial surveys, and ground stations—has been deployed, with 3,000 high-precision sensors tracking subtle environmental changes such as soil moisture in real time. To ensure riverine ecological health, the project preserves 30% of the natural river channel as a 'life corridor' for fish, while building Asia's longest continuous fishway and artificial breeding facilities, capable of releasing 100,000 rare fish annually. At the same time, 5,000 cubic meters of water per second will be continuously discharged to sustain downstream ecosystems. These meticulous and comprehensive measures highlight China's cutting-edge approach to balancing large-scale development with ecological protection. Multi-Purpose Functions, Benefiting Neighboring Regions The intelligent dispatch system of the Yarlung Tsangpo Hydropower Project manages not only power generation but also regional flood control and disaster mitigation. It can precisely regulate downstream water discharge, reducing the peak flow of a once-in-a-century flood passing through India's Assam State from a daunting 76,000 cubic meters per second to a more manageable 52,000 cubic meters per second, effectively lowering flood risks for downstream communities. By stabilizing river flow, the project also helps mitigate riverbed erosion and reduce the likelihood of geological disasters such as landslides—demonstrating China's responsible approach to the transboundary impacts of water resources. The roar of the Yarlung Tsangpo is also becoming a bond of regional cooperation. On the eve of the project's groundbreaking, China, India, and Bangladesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Transboundary River Cooperation, creatively transforming potential water resource disputes into opportunities for collaboration. China has proposed establishing a 'Yarlung Tsangpo Basin Sustainable Development Partnership', exploring a multilateral framework that integrates hydropower development, flood control, and ecological protection. The goal is to make the hydropower project a model of regional co-governance and shared development. While the long-term success of this grand transnational endeavor will depend on reliable technology, rigorous ecological monitoring, and deeper international trust-building, China's proactive initiatives and open stance have undoubtedly provided a valuable cooperative pathway for complex transboundary water governance, reflecting its commitment to regional peace and development. The Yarlung Tsangpo Hydropower Project stands as a strategic cornerstone of China's new era, integrating energy security, green development, regional coordination, and international cooperation. It is not only a mega project pushing the boundaries of engineering, but also a strategic pivot that aligns energy transition, frontier development, ecological protection, and neighborly cooperation. Its approach of 'protecting nature while developing, and achieving development through protection', together with its model of shared governance of transboundary water resources, offers an Eastern wisdom that is highly relevant to the global pursuit of sustainable infrastructure and regional co-governance. This project—illuminating the Tibetan Plateau and connecting the region's future—goes far beyond power generation alone. It embodies the steadfast steps of a major nation seeking long-term progress and global responsibility amid complex challenges. Joe Concord [email protected]
Times of Oman
8 hours ago
- Climate
- Times of Oman
Rain in Tibet trigger flood in Nepal, warning issued in three districts
Kathmandu: Downpour in Tibet early Wednesday morning has triggered flood in rivers flowing in Nepal prompting authorities to issue warning in three districts. The district of Rasuwa, adjoining the Tibetan side which was hit by a flash flood on July 8 had claimed lives of 7 with over a dozen still missing, after Lhende River swept infrastructure near Nepal-China border. Heavy rainfall in Tibet earlier this morning has triggered flooding in the Trishuli River, raising water levels in areas around Uttar Gaya in Rasuwa and the Trishuli 3B Hub in Kispang. Authorities have issued warnings as water flow continues to rise in the Rasuwagadhi area. Rasuwa's Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruba Prasad Adhikari has urged "residents living in low-lying coastal areas to remain vigilant," citing the "ongoing flood originating from the Rasuwagadhi region near the Nepal-China border." "The District Disaster Management Committee and local disaster response teams under Uttar Gaya Rural Municipality have been mobilized. The rural municipality and police administration have requested immediate cooperation from the public in adhering to the safety notice," Adhikari told ANI over phone. Similar warning was issued in the Nuwakot and the Dhading District where the Trishuli River has swollen following the flood in Lhende River along the Nepal-China border. The District Administration Office of both the districts has requested the locals living along the coastline to remain vigilant for possible floods. Preliminary assessments by Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology-supported by satellite imagery, local officials from the border area, and geologists had confirmed that the flood originated after a section of long-frozen permafrost suddenly gave way near the river's source, which flows into Nepal via Gosainkunda Rural Municipality-1 on 8 July. Permafrost refers to terrain made of compacted rock, snow, and soil that remains below 0°C year-round. Even light rainfall or increased temperatures can destabilize it, causing sudden floods or landslides. At least four of the river's glacial tributaries originate in Tibet. On the Nepali side, the catchment extends through glacial areas between Langtang Lirung and the Sangbu Ri ridge, reaching as far down as the Dudhkunda Ghattekhola area. The Lhende River joins the Trishuli downstream from the Nepal-China friendship bridge at Rasuwagadhi, which was washed away by the flood. Other glacial tributaries, including the Tibu glacier to the northeast, the Purupe glacier further upstream, and another glacier northwest of Langtang Himal, all contribute to the Lhende. These catchments collectively host at least seven glacial lakes on the Tibetan side, and a smaller one can be seen near Dudhkunda in Nepal. Due to rising global temperatures, these permafrost areas have been receiving consistent rainfall in recent years. The warm precipitation accelerates the melting of permafrost--frozen mixes of snow, sand, and rock--which have remained stable for decades at subzero temperatures.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Transparency key to easing regional concerns over Tibet mega-dam
When Premier Li Qiang broke ground for the construction of the Yarlung Tsangpo mega-dam, he marked the start of one of the most extraordinary infrastructure projects in world history. Advertisement Located in Medog, a remote county on the Tibetan Plateau, the super-dam could produce, when completed, three times the output of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze and will play a decisive role in China's commitment to become carbon-neutral by 2060. It will be a big part of the renewable energy mix that includes solar and wind power, not only in the Tibet autonomous region but for central China as well. As part of a national project to integrate the Tibetan region with development and economic growth, the renewable energy bonanza from the dam will promote population growth, tourism, and resource exploration and extraction. The 1.2 trillion yuan (US$167 billion) dam will benefit not only the local economy, but also regional development. By harnessing the river's 2,000m elevation drop in the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, the world's deepest, it can potentially provide 300 million people with clean power, including in nearby countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, stimulating regional economic development. Bangladesh and Myanmar suffer frequent power outages and can especially benefit from the dam's projected excess capacity. This is not to deny the countries are sceptical . India is especially opposed to the project and is planning an 11.2-gigawatt dam downstream to assert its water rights. Beijing is well aware of the controversy. The foreign ministry has said rigorous environmental protection and mitigation efforts will be made during construction, and transparency will be maintained through communication with countries downstream. Advertisement It needs to do more. To mitigate transborder disputes, it won't be enough to just say there will be 'no negative impact' downstream. China can build confidence through engagement and transparency. Timely data-sharing on dam conditions and water levels will certainly help.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
What We Are Reading Today: Himalaya: A Human History
Author: Ed Douglas This is the first major history of the Himalaya: an epic story of peoples, cultures and adventures among the world's highest mountains. Spanning millennia, from its earliest inhabitants to the present conflicts over Tibet and Everest, Himalaya is a soaring account of resilience and conquest, discovery and plunder, oppression and enlightenment at the 'roof of the world.' The Himalaya has throughout the ages been home to an astonishing diversity of indigenous and local cultures, and a meeting point and conflict zone for the world's superpowers, according to a review on The book offers a panoramic, character-driven history on the grandest yet most human scale, encompassing geology and genetics, botany and art.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Water, not warheads, could spark the next South Asia crisis
Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced last week the launch of a monumental dam project on the Tibetan Plateau that is set to become the largest hydroelectric facility in the world, according to Chinese media. Situated on the lower stretches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the project has sparked concerns about potential downstream effects on water availability and environmental sustainability in India and Bangladesh. On July 19, Li, while justifying the launch of the construction of a dam over the Brahmaputra River in the ecologically fragile and sensitive Tibet region, allayed apprehensions over its possible bearing in the midstream and lower riparian countries such as India and Bangladesh. China says the dam project, costing an estimated $167 billion, will ensure ecological protection and enhance local prosperity. Earlier this month, the chief minister of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, described the Chinese dam project on the river, which in India is largely referred to as the Brahmaputra, as a 'ticking water bomb' and a matter of grave concern. Over 3,000km from Arunachal Pradesh, in the hushed conversations of the Kashmir Valley, people are quietly speculating that the next war between India and Pakistan may be fought over Kashmir's waters. After the April 22 terrorist attack in the picturesque Baisaran valley in Pahalgam, Kashmir, New Delhi put the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 in abeyance. In a tit-for-tat response, Islamabad suspended the Simla Agreement of 1972 and described India's action as an 'act of war.' The IWT, brokered by the World Bank, was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960. It is a water-distribution agreement between India and Pakistan that had survived for the last 65 years but has been suspended for the first time by India. According to the IWT, both countries can use the water available in the Indus River and its tributaries. Pakistan is granted rights to the Indus Basin's western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses (hydropower). India has control over the eastern rivers – Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej – for unrestricted use. As per the treaty, India is allowed to use the western rivers for limited purposes (power generation and irrigation), without storing or diverting large volumes. New Delhi is now reportedly working on a mega inter-basin water transfer plan to possibly divert surplus flows from Jammu and Kashmir waters to the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, and even to Rajasthan. Media reports indicate that New Delhi aims to maximize the benefits of the Indus River waters. A feasibility study is being conducted to explore the possibility of constructing a 113-km-long canal that would redirect surplus flows from Kashmir to other states. Predictably, this proposal has not gone down well with either Islamabad or Kashmir-based political groups. Besides triggering a war of words between the major Unionist political formations of Kashmir and Punjab, this project is likely to instigate new interstate water disputes. It also has geopolitical ramifications. Pravin Sawhney, a former India Army officer, prominent strategic and defense expert and author, told RT that any violation of the IWT would be an act of war from Pakistan's perspective. 'Stopping water flow to Pakistan or diverting Kashmir waters to other states in violation of the IWT will be considered an Act of War. A war that India cannot win because of China and Pakistan being iron-clad friends,' Sawhney said. However, after the Pahalgam incident, New Delhi hardened its position vis-à-vis Islamabad. On a visit to the state of Madhya Pradesh last month, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said, 'Indus waters will be taken to Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar through canals within three years.' He also claimed that Pakistan will be left 'craving for every drop of water.' Similar statements have been made by other Indian politicians. How does Islamabad perceive this threat? In a recent interview with The Wire, former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari spoke in favor of a comprehensive dialogue between the two countries on all outstanding issues, including the Kashmir dispute and 'water terrorism.' 'India is threatening to cut off the water supply to 240 million people of Pakistan to starve the Indus Valley civilization, a shared culture, history and heritage. This goes against everything that used to be Indian. It goes against the philosophy of (Mohandas Karamchand) Gandhi. It goes against all that we have been taught about India as a secular country.' In earlier interviews, Bhutto warned of serious ramifications if the water flow was stopped to Pakistan, a low riparian state. During the National Assembly's budget session in Pakistan last month, he accused the current Indian government of violating international law by unilaterally suspending the IWT. The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration recently ruled that New Delhi's decision to suspend the IWT did not deprive the court of its competence to deliver judgment on Pakistan's complaints against India. New Delhi has opposed the proceedings of the Court of Arbitration ever since its creation by the World Bank in October 2022. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement on June 27, called the move the 'latest charade at Pakistan's behest.' New Delhi's plan to reroute Kashmir's waters potentially complicates geopolitical tensions between the two rivals, whose 78-year-old history has witnessed major wars, intense and prolonged periods of escalation during the 1999 Kargil conflict, and more recently, the standoff in May 2025. Rao Farman Ali, the author of 'Water, Polity and Kashmir', argues that the international community will not allow another war between Pakistan and India given that both are nuclear powers. "Rhetoric on either side won't help. There is a need to handle sensitive issues such as the Indus Waters Treaty with caution and foresight, and the key lies in resolution of the Kashmir dispute,' Ali told RT. He added that the IWT's potential as a sustainable peace-building structure remains unexploited. Meanwhile, he favors a win-win situation for China, Pakistan, and India as a result of a potential agreement between all stakeholders. 'A trilateral 1.2.3 Agreement between China, India and Pakistan, focusing on the immediate demilitarization of the Siachen Glacier – the vital 'blue crystal feeding the Indus (Neelam-Kishanganga) – is an urgent imperative,' he said, adding that suspending the IWT would trigger another conflict and that perpetual Pakistan-India acrimony is unaffordable and unreasonable. Chinese experts meanwhile have warned New Delhi against any potential plans to divert waters. Victor Gao, chair professor at Soochow University and expert on international relations, said in an interview with India Today that Beijing will have to step in if New Delhi and Islamabad are not able to "come up with an equitable way of allocating the water." 'We really do not want to see the way the Indian government is diverting water from the Indus river, depriving the Pakistani people in the downstream of the benefit of water. We do not like it at all. And we warned the Indian government not to do that because there will be consequences if the Indian government continues to deny water to the people in Pakistan on the downstream," he asserted, arguing the India is a midstream country and that China is 'the real upper stream country.' Gao, who is known to be close to the Chinese establishment, said that denial or diversion of water to mid-stream or low riparian states will have consequences. 'Don't do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you. India is not really in the upper stream. India is a midstream country. So, be peaceful with your neighbor rather than engaging in a political spectacle,' he warned in a 25-minute-long interview. China controls the Brahmaputra River and wields influence to disrupt the flow of the waters. The proposed dam project by China also risks renewed confrontation between Beijing and New Delhi. Unlike Pakistan and India, China is not a signatory to any international water treaties.
