Putin’s allies risk conflict over world’s most expensive construction project

The dam’s construction is expected to attract $137 billion (1 trillion yuan) in investments, making it one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in history.

Experts predict that the project will take at least 10 years to complete and will require the creation of a new power grid, as Tibet “has no need” for such a large-scale energy supply.

At the same time, it is noted that the hydroelectric project could negatively affect Tibet’s ecological situation, including the destruction of the region’s last tigers.

According to the publication, hydropower is the second-largest source of electricity generation in China, accounting for nearly 14% of the total last year.

As reported by Interfax-Ukraine, this project is raising concerns for the governments of India and Bangladesh, which fear that the dam’s construction could harm the environment and alter the flow of the Brahmaputra River, the largest tributary of the Ganges.

Earlier, analysts considered the construction of the dam on the river unlikely due to the high cost of delivering materials and workers to the remote region, as well as the need to lay long power transmission lines.

In 2020, the head of the Power Construction Corporation of China stated that the potential electricity production in the lower reaches of the river could reach 70 GW.