At the bend of the river Yarlung Tsangpo in tibet, china is building a $168 billion hydropower system, which should be produced by youmore electricity than any other in the world.
The project is strategically important for China’s transition to clean energy and supporting the development of industries such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, writes CNN.
The system will use a height drop of around 2,000 meters through a network of tunnels and cascading dams, generating a huge amount of energy.
Experts describe it as the most sophisticated and risky project of its kind, because it is being built in a seismically active area.
Beijing claims that the project is the result of several decades research and that it will not have a negative impact on downstream countries, such as India and Bangladesh.
However, many experts warn that it could disrupt the ecosystem and threaten rare species in one of the the purest parts of Asia.
India calls the project “water bomb” because I canof impact on the course of the Brahmaputra river, on which millions of people depend.
There are also fears that the construction could increase tensions on the disputed border between the two nuclear powers.
The construction site is expanding — roads, bridges and warehouses are being builtwhat, and the local population is moving. Among them are members of the indigenous Tibetan people who are losing their homes and sanctuaries. Beijing claims the resettlement respects cultural rights and brings economic benefits, but human rights organizations warn of forced relocations relocation.
While China emphasizes that the project contributes to the fight against climate change, there remains concern about possible environmental and political consequences and the lack of transparency.
Experts warn that a race in the construction of dams between China and India could become “race to the bottom”.
