MEDONG, CHINA — China plans to build up to 60 gigawatts of hydropower capacity on the Yarlung Zangbo River, better known as the Brahmaputra.<br /><br />The hydropower project, which would dwarf the output of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, is part of China's 14th Five-Year Plan.<br /><br />Details of the project were first announced in Chinese state media.<br /><br />The mega dam would be constructed in Tibet on the "Great Bend" in the Brahmaputra, where water can drop up to 2,000 meters in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon.<br /><br />Citing officials, China's state-run Global Times reports the hydropower station would help "maintain water resources and domestic security" — and could generate income of $3 billion annually for Tibet.
