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The dam on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau is expected to start operating in the 2030s.
By Zeeshan Wali | 21 July 2025
HONG KONG/SHANGHAI: China’s Prime Minister Li Qiang said that work has started on the world’s biggest hydropower dam. It is located on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and is expected to cost about $170 billion, according to the official Xinhua news agency. This dam is China’s biggest hydropower project since the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, with plans to start operations in the 2030s.
The dam, with five hydropower stations, will be built in the lower part of the Yarlung Zangbo river. This river drops 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) over a short distance of 50 km (31 miles), which means it has a lot of potential for hydropower.
India and Bangladesh are worried about how this could affect millions of people living downstream, and NGOs warn about the environmental risks in this rich area. China says the dam can produce 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, helping with power needs in Tibet and China, while not seriously affecting water supply or the environment. China’s CSI Construction & Engineering Index rose by 4% to its highest in seven months.
Power Construction Corporation of China and Arcplus Group PLC also saw their stocks rise by 10%. Wang Zhuo from Shanghai Zhuozhu Investment Management noted that the project provides long-term investment chances and short-term speculation interests.
He mentioned that mature hydropower projects can give steady returns like bonds but warned that buying related stocks could increase prices unfairly. The project will increase the demand for construction materials, helping companies like Hunan Wuxin Tunnel Intelligent Equipment Co, which saw share prices rise 30%, and Geokang Technologies Co Ltd, which makes monitoring devices.
Cement company Xizang Tianlu Co Ltd and Tibet GaoZheng Explosive Co, which creates explosives, also saw their stocks rise by the maximum of 10%. The Chinese premier called the dam a ‘project of the century’ and stressed the importance of ecological considerations.
