China has reportedly plan to build a major dam on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra river) river close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Tibet.
Originating in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), the trans-border Yarlung Zangbo flows into Arunachal Pradesh where it is called Siang and then to Assam as Brahmaputra.
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As per reports, a proposal for this has been put forward in the 14th Five-Year Plan to be implemented from next year.
China has already built several smaller dams on the Yarlung Zangbo river.
Yan Zhiyong, chairman of the Power Construction Corp of China, said China will “implement hydropower exploitation in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River”.
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The project could serve to maintain water resources and domestic security, the Global Times reported.
“There is no parallel in history it will be a historic opportunity for the Chinese hydropower industry,” Yan told the conference organised to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the China Society for Hydropower Engineering.
The initial work on the dam began with Powerchina on October 16 signing a strategic cooperation agreement covering the 14th Five-Year Plan with the TAR government.
The news regarding the new dam was published on an official social media platform of the ruling Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Youth League last week.
Proposals for dams on the Brahmaputra have evoked concerns in India and Bangladesh, the riparian states, and China has downplayed such anxieties saying it would keep their interests in mind.
According to a Global Times report, speculation about China planning to build a “super hydropower station” in Medog county, where the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon is located, have circulated for years.
Medog is the last county in Tibet which borders Arunachal Pradesh.