Public opinion is sharply divided regarding China's hydropower dam project, with supporters highlighting its potential as a green energy source and economic opportunity, while critics raise strong concerns about environmental impacts, geopolitical tensions particularly concerning India and Bangladesh, and the historical context of water management conflicts. Many express sentiments of hypocrisy regarding India's past actions in the region.

China

India

Bangladesh

Did the Tibetan government approve this China project?

shopchin

Damn bro, your social credit score is going through the roof. You keep up this level of CCP propaganda up they might let you into the party. They programmed you well. Just dont slip and criticize Xi. They might be coming to you door.

grazfest96

Expected electricity production 3e14 Wh, 2024 China electricity consumption 9.8e15 Wh, so 3% from one project.

dufutur

white boy,你们最好快点发明可控核聚变，否则中国人将统治世界。

Novel_Rip4619

Wow the Indian nationalists are out in force today.

Markthemonkey888

ls7eveen

Indian: Tibet is not China, so it is built by Tibetan don't blame China

KnownInvestigator198

Speedydds

1% of the GDP.


Or roughly a year's military budget.


Or less than Meta's one year revenue.


Crazy numbers.

uniyk

This will flood one of the most ecologically valuable, most beautiful canyons in the Himalayas. 

Meanwhile, Pema Khandu, the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian state immediately downstream, [called](https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/largest-hydropower-dam-china-dam-yarlung-tsangpo-tibet-pema-khandu-china-could-use-it-as-water-bomb-arunachal-chief-minister-on-dam-project-7550761) the project “a big threat” that could dry up the river through his state during routine operation and potentially be weaponized to unleash a flood in which, he said, hundreds of thousands could lose their lives. 

[https://e360.yale.edu/features/china-tibet-yarlung-tsangpo-dam-india-water](https://e360.yale.edu/features/china-tibet-yarlung-tsangpo-dam-india-water)

Splenda

On an energy subreddit, why use GW and not GWh?

ryemigie

[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmn127kmr4o](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmn127kmr4o)

[https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/world/asia/china-tibet-dam-india.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/world/asia/china-tibet-dam-india.html)

huddy_p

Xizang marches into the green and clean future with history's biggest ever dam. Without the Communist Party, there will be no new China!

fufa_fafu

The significance of the Yarlung Tsangpo hydropower station lies not only in its own 80 GW of electricity generation, but also in enabling the secure integration of total 240 GW of wind and solar power into the grid with its support.  

ParticularDiamond712

China has created so many dams that they are basically destroying themselves and detrimentally affecting countries around them. Close to 100,000 dams.

Every year flooding is chronic and worsening in China. Censorship of such events by the government is priority for the Chinese government which deems it a threat to social order and power. Deaths, damage and responsibility wiped off the internet because it is indeed a SNAFU.

Outrageous_Artist394

Is this the one that jeopardizes freshwater access for 150 million people in India and Bangladesh? 

There are no transboundary treaties in place and this is a unilateral action. It's not about energy, it's about China exerting power over its neighbours.

Vinny331

A lot of rich people will make a lot of money. A lot of poor farmers will lose their land and livelihoods.

BrtFrkwr

Yeah this isn’t a good thing for a variety of reasons. 

There’s a reason it’s in Tibet, there’s a reason it’s near the border. 

This is massive ecological damage in a colonialist project - and one that is unnecessary considering the amount of solar and batteries china deploys.

WillCallCap

Oh look another CCP propaganda shill posting puff pieces.

squintamongdablind

Tibet doesn’t belong to china. They’re an occupied country

pittwater12

Modernizing Tibet by bringing some gigantic environmental destruction, a mega project in the middle of nowhere. China knows how to enrage human rights advocates the same time as environmentalists.

DonManuel

TheGoalkeeper

In what span of time? Does releasing 300 resvoirs behind the dams fuck up the shoreline?

qwertyqyle

well too bad the Yangtz river dolphin and Yangtze swordfish already gone extinct

Nebulonite

This seems like a good thing. Should've been done earlier but better late than never. Hopefully this is the first step toward conservation of the Yangtze's native species.

Fit-Historian6156

Should have built the dams with those salmon canoe or tunnels

bigsnow999

Yeah bullshit- china builds and tears down then rebuilds because it increases their GDP

rechtim

Bangladesh is more dependent on its water than India. So they will never block it.

Adi_Boy96

What will change? ,In past there were floods,In present there are floods and In future there will be floods in Brahmputra.Only thing is making dams on our side for which some locals are protesting.

Glum-Caterpillar-916

Dams should be contructed on the rivers of NE India to stop flooding in Assam. 70% of water comes for Indian rivers and rainfall. 

If China stops the flow of water, then nothing will happen in Assam. Now, India must take full advantage of Indus Water Treaty.

whydama

In response to this Modi has immediately ordered IT cell to make 1000 new laser eyes video

Certain_Bridge9574

The laser eye foreign minister forgot to shoot his laser in the right direction or perhaps his laser is too weak

Desinnovat_ID

we are trying to build dam from our side for a long time but some people are against this.

PriorGuidance3706

Will this have any effect on the annual floods we face?

Herr_Doktorr

Bangladesh will be more impacted here in both ways. Even China open all their gate or close their gate, Bangladesh is going to face

aewxion

lemontree123t

What india did to Pakistan water treaty, what is china doing to indian waters? 

Very unclear. Water war is on!! 


First Air
Now water
Whats next?

raendeomgeim

You need to build molten salt reactors to power desalination around the world

Then pump it up inland in upward rivers, marvel at what nature used to do for you for free

And prevent WaterWar 1, 2 &amp; 3

sir_duckingtale

AttemptCreative1512

That is a lot of newly introduced weight of a minuscule geological period.  I don't know nuffin about nuffin but I predict earthquakes.

absurd_nerd_repair

**China has broken ground on a $167 billion mega-dam in Tibet’s Yarlung Tsangpo river basin, signaling a new phase in its high-stakes hydropower expansion near the India border:** China has inaugurated the construction of a massive hydropower dam project in Tibet, specifically on the Yarlung Tsangpo river (which becomes the Brahmaputra in India). This project has raised concerns in India and Bangladesh due to potential downstream impacts on water resources, agriculture, and environmental stability. Key Details:

* The dam project, located in Medog County, Tibet, will be the world's largest hydropower project, generating three times more power than the Three Gorges Dam 
* India and Bangladesh are worried about the dam's potential to disrupt river flows, impacting water availability for agriculture, drinking water, and potentially causing erosion. 
* Environmentalists are also concerned about the potential ecological consequences of such a large-scale project in the ecologically sensitive Tibetan Plateau. 
* China asserts the project is designed to prioritize ecological protection and will not negatively affect downstream areas. They also emphasize its role in supporting climate change adaptation efforts  
* The dam project could exacerbate existing tensions between India and China, especially given the disputed border and China's growing influence in the region. 

**Video**: [https://youtu.be/LqT5l7S-sVQ?si=VrjOL3ngaOw1xP93](https://youtu.be/LqT5l7S-sVQ?si=VrjOL3ngaOw1xP93)

Zee2A

**China Kicks Off Controversial Mega-Dam Project in Tibet**: China has embarked on its most ambitious hydropower project yet—the Yarlung Tsangpo Dam. Built in the dramatic Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, this record-breaking dam aims to generate 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, three times more than the iconic Three Gorges Dam. But this mega-dam isn’t just about renewable energy—it’s reshaping geopolitics: [https://youtu.be/i-ShOGTbK-Q?si=HlStbJ1k4VdD2r8A](https://youtu.be/i-ShOGTbK-Q?si=HlStbJ1k4VdD2r8A)

**Article:** [https://interestingengineering.com/energy/china-300-billion-kwh-hydro-power-tibet](https://interestingengineering.com/energy/china-300-billion-kwh-hydro-power-tibet)

balianone

what could go wrong...two largest populations going at it.... hmmm might be worth breaking out the popcorn

NaFo_Operator

InconspicuousIntent

Uh oh that’s gonna slow the earth’s rotation by another 0.00125 seconds

comicsemporium

I think the whole planet needs to worry about this. The last mega dam China built resulted in a slight change to both the rotational speed and tilt of the planet, as well as other ecological issues. If China keeps doing this, it could result in an unfixable cumulative outcome.

Kind_Dream_610

You can never hold water forever, the river is always flowing, they are just creating a lake to store the water. Just like, when India threatened to hold water from Pakistan, but the water had to be released later, else the billion dollar dam breaks. Just like that, they can never hold water forever. It doesn’t help or hurt India and Bangladesh, don’t worry.

Dry_Quiet_3541

Fleshburn1

 China and India have no quarrel.  There is no need for concern.  /s

Sirosim_Celojuma

# 🚧 “Finished by 2035”? Yeah, Okay — and I’m Immortal Too

Let’s get real. China claims it’ll finish the **world’s largest hydropower project** in **less than a decade**, on **one of the most geologically volatile mountain ranges on Earth**, and we’re supposed to nod politely?

I live in **Chicago**.  
We have two seasons:  
**Winter ❄️ and Construction 🚧.**  
And I’ve seen *alley potholes* that took longer to fix than this dam’s timeline.

---

## 🧠 Here’s Why This Dam Isn’t Finishing in 10 Years

### 🌍 1. The Terrain is Insane
- Built in **Tibet’s deep canyon system**, on **fault lines**, at **high altitude**, surrounded by **monsoon cycles** and **landslides**.
- This is **Mount Doom engineering** — with more bureaucracy and fewer eagles.

### 🧬 2. Tech is Evolving Faster Than Concrete Sets
By 2035:
- AI could be running on **photonic chips**, **neuromorphic mesh**, or **quantum stacks**.
- Centralized power gluttons like this may be **obsolete** — or even liabilities.

**Building a dam for future AI is like wiring a VCR for Netflix.**

### 🐘 3. Bureaucracy + Tensions = Delay Soup
- The region is **disputed territory**.
- India is already raising alarms.
- Environmental, seismic, and political delays are inevitable.

**Add that up? Delays. Litigation. Scope creep.**

### 🏴‍☠️ 4. Strategic Overreach Is a Hell of a Drug
- China sees the dam as a **symbol of dominance**.
- But symbols **crack** under time and turnover.
- If war or recession hits mid-project? It becomes a **half-finished monument to hubris.**

---

## 🔮 My Take?

&gt; “This will be a **20-year project minimum**.  
&gt; And by the time it's operational, the future it was meant for may have already **changed shape**.”

I’ll probably be alive to see it.  
But it might already be a **relic-in-progress** by then.

Because in the world of AI and geopolitics, the only thing faster than innovation…  
is **obsolescence**.

---

### TL;DR:

&gt; You don’t future-proof a civilization by damming a river and hoping the servers don’t evolve.  
&gt; You do it by adapting *faster than construction crews.*

🏗️💀🧠

Away_Veterinarian579

It won't affect much of the flow. It won't give china a leverage over Bangladesh and India but it will give them hydroelectricity to import to Bhutan and Nepal instead of India

VapeyMoron

China is constructing the world's largest hydropower dam, raising concerns in India regarding water management and ecological effects in downstream areas.

China's Hydropower Dam Construction and Regional Impact

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