China begins construction of Hydropower Project on Brahmaputra River

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has announced the commencement of construction on a major hydropower project on the Brahmaputra River. The ambitious project, comprising five cascade (downstream sequential) hydropower stations, is expected to cost approximately 1.02 trillion yuan, or around USD 167.8 billion.

To oversee the construction and operation of the project, China Yajiang Group Co., Ltd. was recently inaugurated in Beijing.

According to Xinhua, the foundation-laying ceremony for the dam of the Mainling Hydropower Station was held on Saturday (July 19) in Nyingchi, a city in the Tibet Autonomous Region in southwestern China. The ceremony was attended by Li Qiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, as well as Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, who is also a member of the CPC Central Committee’s Political Bureau. Members of the project's expert advisory committee and representatives of local residents were also present.

During the ceremony, it was announced that the project will initially meet local power demands in Tibet before supplying electricity to other provinces.

Representatives from various institutions, including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Power Construction Corporation of China, also delivered speeches at the event.