China Switches On Mega Dam in Eastern Tibet
China has begun operating one of its most massive hydroelectric power stations in eastern Tibet, further accelerating its large-scale exploitation of Tibetan rivers under the banner of “clean energy.”
The Lianghekou hydropower plant, now the highest-altitude mega dam in the People’s Republic of China, stands nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower and is capable of generating 11 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually. With an installed capacity of 3,000 megawatts, the project marks yet another milestone in Beijing’s aggressive dam-building campaign across Tibet.
Located on the Yalong River in Yajiang County (Tibetan: Nyagchu Dzong) within the so-called Garze (Kardze) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture—historically part of eastern Tibet’s Kham province and now incorporated into Sichuan Province—the dam occupies a critical stretch of one of Asia’s most important river systems. The Yalong is a major tributary of the Yangtze River and forms part of China’s most strategic hydropower corridor.
Rising approximately 295 metres, the dam holds back a reservoir designed to store around 10.8 billion cubic metres of water. Construction began in 2014, with the final turbine connected to the grid in March 2022, after an investment of roughly 66.5 billion yuan (about 10.5 billion US dollars).
The human cost has been significant. Nearly 5,000 residents were reportedly relocated during construction—part of a broader pattern of displacement that has accompanied China’s dam-building drive across Tibet. The long-term social and cultural impacts of these relocations remain largely unexamined in official narratives.
Chinese officials claim the project will reduce raw coal consumption by over 13 million tons annually and prevent around 21 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions compared with coal-based generation. The dam is also presented as an “anchor” of grid stability—able to deliver power at any hour, unlike solar and wind installations.
Lianghekou is part of a broader 4.2-gigawatt hybrid scheme described as the world’s largest pumped hydro energy storage system. The goal is to integrate massive dams with solar farms, wind parks, and pumped storage to transform the Yalong River basin into a flagship clean-energy demonstration zone.
Around 50 kilometres away, the Kela photovoltaic project adds one gigawatt of solar capacity, producing roughly two billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Chinese planners highlight a seasonal “handshake” between hydropower and solar energy—solar peaking during dry months and hydropower during the rainy season—turning Lianghekou into what is described as a giant “water battery.”
While some studies cited by Chinese sources suggest the Yalong basin’s dams operate within environmental limits from a water-use perspective, other researchers warn that cascades of mega dams alter natural flow patterns, disrupt fish habitats, and fragment river ecosystems—undermining long-term river connectivity.
Moreover, Tibet’s rivers are not merely economic resources; they are lifelines for millions downstream and hold deep ecological, cultural, and spiritual significance for Tibetans. Large-scale hydropower expansion raises pressing concerns about irreversible environmental transformation, seismic risks in a geologically fragile region, and the cumulative impacts of cascading dams.
The 11 billion kilowatt hours generated annually are intended to support economic hubs such as the Chengdu-Chongqing region and stabilize power supplies in Sichuan Province, which has faced summer blackouts in recent years.
Yet, as with many mega infrastructure projects in Tibet, the primary beneficiaries lie far beyond the plateau. Tibet increasingly serves as a strategic energy reservoir for China’s industrial heartlands—its rivers dammed, its landscapes transformed, and its communities displaced in the process.
Tibet Rights Collective (TRC) calls for transparent environmental assessments, meaningful consultation with affected Tibetan communities, and independent international scrutiny of large-scale hydropower expansion in Tibet. Development without consent cannot be called sustainable, and “green energy” cannot come at the cost of erasing a people’s land, culture, and ecological heritage.