Big Take Asia Podcast

China Launches Construction of $167 Billion Tibetan Mega-Dam

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast: China bets big on a $167 billion dam in Tibet. What the controversial project could mean for Beijing’s energy ambitions.

A section of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet Autonomous Region of China, where the mega-dam will be built.Photographer: Li Lin/China News Service/Getty Images

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By Menaka Doshi, Naomi Ng, Yang Yang, and Eleanor Harrison-Dengate

July 29, 2025 at 8:41 PM UTC

Updated on

July 30, 2025 at 4:30 AM UTC

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China is building the largest power plant the world has ever seen, in a very remote corner of Tibet. But the $167 billion hydropower dam has environmentalists and neighboring countries concerned.