China begins construction of world's largest hydroelectric power station

Chinese authorities have officially launched construction of a massive hydropower plant on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, located on the Tibetan Plateau.

The Yarlung Tsangpo, one of South Asia’s major waterways, flows through India—where it is known as the Brahmaputra—and Bangladesh, where it is called the Jamuna, before merging with the Ganges River, Caliber.Az reports, citing Chinese media.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the project’s groundbreaking ceremony. The electricity generated by the facility is intended both to serve local needs and to be transmitted beyond the region.

According to Power China, the company overseeing construction, the hydroelectric plant is expected to produce 300 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually. The total cost of the project is estimated at $167.1 billion.

Chinese media note that upon completion, the new facility may surpass the scale of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in Hubei Province, currently the largest hydroelectric power station in the world.

By Khagan Isayev