Mega project in Tibet combines unprecedented scale, high investment, and regional impact in a strategic area of Asia, bringing together renewable energy, extreme engineering, geopolitical sensitivity, and environmental concerns around one of the most closely watched hydropower projects in the world.
China has advanced a hydropower project in Tibet that could become the largest in the world in installed capacity, with 60 gigawatts (GW) and an estimated generation of 300 billion kilowatt-hours per year.
The project is located in the lower course of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, in the area known as the Great Bend, and was officially approved at the end of December 2024.
In July 2025, the Chinese government announced the start of construction.
The investment reported by official Chinese sources and international media is around 1.2 trillion yuan, equivalent to about US$ 167 billion to US$ 170 billion.
The scale helps explain the international repercussions of the project.
The projected capacity exceeds that of the Three Gorges Dam, currently the main global reference in large hydropower plants.
For Beijing, the project is part of the strategy to expand renewable energy supply, strengthen energy security, and support the goal of carbon neutrality by 2060.
At the same time, the initiative has raised concerns about environmental impacts, geological risks, and potential effects on countries that depend on the waters of the same river system.
Plant in Tibet may surpass Three Gorges in energy generation
The estimated annual generation of 300 billion kWh would place the Tibetan project at an unprecedented level in the hydropower sector.
Authorities and analysts often compare this volume to about three times the annual production of the Three Gorges, although the ratio varies depending on the year and hydrological conditions.
Still, the data indicates a scale greater than that of the largest dams in operation worldwide.
The plan is not limited to an isolated structure.
Recent reports and information related to the project indicate the forecast of five cascade plants, which expands the intervention in the river valley and the potential for generation.
In this context, the project has been treated by the Chinese government as part of a broader package of energy infrastructure and regional development.
According to the state agency Xinhua, the project has also been presented as a tool to boost the local economy and strengthen Tibet’s integration into the national energy transition strategy.
Outside of China, however, observers associate the dam not only with electricity production but also with the strategic weight of controlling a transboundary basin.
Engineering in the Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo increases technical challenge
The chosen section is among the most extreme in the world for hydropower exploration.
In the Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo, the river descends about 2,000 meters in just 50 kilometers, according to information recently published by international agencies.
This drop is cited as one of the central factors for the area’s energy potential.
To take advantage of this waterfall, the project includes large-scale underground works.
