China eyes 60 GW of hydropower on Tibet's Brahmaputra river - state media

(Reuters, 30 Nov 2020) Building group hails plan as a 'historic opportunity' for clean energy, while critics say it could affect downstream water supplies.

China could build up to 60 gigawatts (GW) of hydropower capacity on a section of the Brahmaputra river, known as the Yarlung Tsangbo, which flows from Tibet into India and Bangladesh, Chinese state media reported on Monday, citing a senior executive.

Yan Zhiyong, chairman of state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China, speaking at an industry conference, said that plans to dam the river were a "historic opportunity", and would not only help to meet the country's clean energy plans but would also strengthen water supply security.

His remarks were published by China Energy News, a sister publication of the Communist Party-run People's Daily.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party had said it would "implement the development of hydropower resources on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangbo river" in a list of 2021-2025 "five-year plan" policy recommendations published at the beginning of November.

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Reuters, 30 Nov 2020: China eyes 60 GW of hydropower on Tibet's Brahmaputra river - state media