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Why is China building the world鈥檚 biggest dam?

China has already built the world鈥檚 biggest hydropower dam, but it has announced plans to build another one, three times larger, in Tibet.

China has approved the construction of what will become the world鈥檚 largest hydropower dam in Tibet. Located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, it could generate three times more energy than the Three Gorges Dam 鈥 also built by China - and currently the worlds鈥 biggest.

This Inquiry examines how important hydropower is for China鈥檚 economy, whether it will meet its climate goals and whether this new dam is a 鈥渟afe project that prioritises ecological protection鈥 as China claims. We look at how it鈥檒l be built, and why some in neighbouring countries have concerns.

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Vicky Carter
Researcher: Katie Morgan
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey
Technical producer: Craig Boardman
Editor: Tara McDermott

Contributors:
Brian Eyler, Director of the Energy, Water and Sustainability Programme at the Stimson Center, Washington DC
Neeraj Singh Manhas, special advisor for South Asia at the Parley Policy Initiative, South Korea & Subject Matter Expert at the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, HQ IDS, Ministry of Defence, Government of India
Prof Mark Zeitoun, Director General of the Geneva Water Hub and professor of Water Diplomacy at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland
Prof Cecilia Tortajada, Social and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Glasgow, Adjunct senior research fellow Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore

Image credit: China News Service via Getty Images

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