Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday announced the official start of construction of the Yarlung Zangbo Hydropower Project, Xinhua news agency has reported. The project is set to be the world’s largest hydropower project once complete, aiming to produce 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, dwarfing the capacity of the Three Gorges Dam.
Premier Li Qiang attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Nyingchi City, in the southwestern Xizang Autonomous Region. Li, who is also a member of the Communist Party’s top leadership body, said the project marks a major step in the country’s energy development strategy.
The ceremony was held at the dam site of the Mainling hydropower station, one of five planned cascade stations that make up the project. The total investment is estimated at approximately 1.2 trillion yuan (about US$ 167.8 billion).
Officials from the National Development and Reform Commission, the Power Construction Corporation of China, and members of an expert advisory committee on the project were present. Local residents also attended.
The hydropower project is designed primarily to transmit electricity to regions outside Xizang, while also meeting local power needs.
Separately, a ceremony was recently held in Beijing to launch China Yajiang Group Co., Ltd., which will oversee construction and operation of the project. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended that event.
