India's Ministry of External Affairs said on January 3 that New Delhi had raised concerns with Beijing about China's plans to build a hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River.
Chinese officials say the Tibet hydropower projects will not have a major impact on the environment or downstream water supplies. However, India and Bangladesh remain concerned about the mega-dam.
The Yarlung Zangbo River is named Brahmaputra when it enters India and Bangladesh. The river originates in Tibet and passes through the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam before entering Bangladesh.
"The Chinese side has been urged to ensure that the interests of the downstream countries of the Brahmaputra are not harmed by activities in the upstream areas. We will continue to monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests," said Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal.
Construction of the Yarlung Zangbo Dam was approved by China in December 2024. When completed, the mega-dam will surpass the Three Gorges Dam to become the world's largest hydroelectric dam.
Relations between the Asian powers India and China have been strained since a deadly military clash in a disputed border area in 2020. Relations improved when India and China reached an agreement to disengage troops from their last two standoff points in the western Himalayas in October last year.
Also related to China's construction of a super hydroelectric dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River, Reuters reported that this content will be discussed during a meeting between US national security advisor Jake Sullivan and Indian officials in the next few days.
Jake Sullivan is scheduled to visit New Delhi from January 5 to 6 to discuss with Indian counterparts the impact of Chinese hydropower dams, a senior US official revealed late on January 3.
Xinhua News Agency reported on December 25, 2024 that China approved the construction of a giant hydropower project on Tibet's longest river - the Yarlung Zangbo River.
China’s latest mega-dam is set to pose unprecedented engineering challenges. The total investment for the mega-dam, which will have three times the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam, could exceed 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion), an unprecedented investment that dwarfs any infrastructure project on the planet.
A mega-dam with three times the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam will be built in one of the rainiest regions of mainland China. The project is expected to generate nearly 300 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year.
Meanwhile, the Three Gorges Dam, currently the world's largest installed capacity, is designed to produce 88.2 billion kWh of electricity.
