The works for the realization of what will be inaugurated in China The largest hydroelectric system in the worldlocated on the river Yarlung Tsangpo In the autonomous region of Tibet, a colossal work with an estimated cost in approx 167.8 billions of dollars that includes a dam that will be the largest in the world and 5 hydroelectric power plants. The colossal project, inaugurated on July 19, will stand out for advanced engineering solutions and high energy performance, with one nominal capacity foreseen between 60 and 70 GW (there are no exact data available), a value that exceeds the overall cumulative power of the hydroelectric power plants currently operational in Italy by more than double.
The production of the new plant will exceed beyond 3 times The nominal capacity of 88.2 billion kWh of the Three Gorges damcurrently the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, located in central China.
The characteristics of the record project
The maxiprogetto, for which currently there is no definitive completion date, provides for the realization of a dam and of 5 hydroelectric power plants arranged in waterfalli.e. installed in sequence along the river course in order to exploit the energy of the water released by the plant upstream. These will be positioned in strategic points on a stretch of approx 50 km of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, characterized by an overall altimetric jump of approx 2000 metersthus offering a high potential for the maximal extraction of hydroelectric energy. In this regard, for design needs, it will be necessary to rectify some river anse and convey the water scope through underground ducts dedicated. The stages of construction and management of the system were entrusted to the China Yajiang Group Co., New state company constituted in conjunction with the presentation ceremony of the project.
The realization of the work, intrinsically characterized by a high engineering complexity, will be further aggravated by logistical problems associated with the transport of materials and machinery, necessary for construction site activities, in a remote area located at an approximate altitude of 3000 meters on the sea level. At the moment, neither the Chinese government representatives nor represented the China Yajiang Group Co. have disclosed further details and technical specifications.
How much electricity will be produced
The project, approved in December 2024, is included among the strategic infrastructure works priority for the Beijing government, deemed essential for achieving the national objectives to reduce evening emissions by 2030 and for the achievement of the ambitious carbon neutrality milestone by 2060.
According to estimates to provide the Power Construction Corporation of China, once they come into operation, the system will produce further 300 billion kWh of annual electricity, a sufficient amount to the sustenance of more than 300 million people. This production exceeds beyond 3 times The nominal capacity of 88.2 billion kWh of the Three Gorges damcurrently the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, located in central China. By comparative, the hydroelectric power plant Luigi Einaudithe largest in Italy located in Entracque (in the province of Cuneo), recorded 430 GWh of average electrical production in the last three years.
The concerns around the realization of the work
The design and implementation of this infrastructure generated a significant discontentmainly linked to concerns about environmental impacts on the river habitat and the possible use of the dam by the Beijing authorities as a lever of geopolitical pressure towards neighboring countries, such as India And Bangladeshwhose agricultural economies depend critically on the hydrological regime of the watercourse.
For its part, the Chinese government has tried to provide reassurancedeclaring that the project has been subjected to rigorous scientific assessments aimed at guaranteeing the protection of ecosystems, geological stability and water rights of neighboring states. The Foreign Minister Chinese also highlighted that the hydroelectric system will contribute to the mitigation of the risk of natural disasters and adaptation to climate change, expressly excluding Any use of the work as a political pressure tool.
