Overview of the Yarlung Tsangpo Project On December 25, China approved the construction of the world’s largest hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet. The proposed dam will have a massive capacity of 60,

India said on Friday (Jan 3) it had raised concerns with China about a planned mega hydropower dam construction upstream in Tibet, saying it will "monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests".

The dam is to be built at a huge gorge in the Himalayan reaches where the Brahmaputra river makes a huge U-turn to flow into Arunachal Pradesh in India and then to Bangladesh. The total investment in the dam could exceed 1 trillion yuan (USD 137 billion),

Beijing's approval of a controversial mega dam in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which flows from Tibet autonomous region into India, has sparked concerns about the environmental impact of the project,

China has greenlit the construction of the world's largest hydropower dam on the Tibetan plateau's eastern rim. Expected to generate 300 billion kWh annually, the project will surpass the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam and potentially impact downstream regions of India and Bangladesh,

Chinese officials say that hydropower projects in Tibet will not have a major impact on the environment or on downstream water supplies.

China has assured India that the construction of a mega dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet will not harm the lower riparian states. The project aims to develop clean energy and has been studied for decades to ensure environmental safety.

The Brahmaputra River, a lifeline to millions in India and Bangladesh, now finds itself at the centre of a major geopolitical storm. On December 25, China approved the construction of the world's largest hydropower project on this river—known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet.