China is advancing plans to build the world’s largest hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, a $168 billion undertaking that could generate around 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually—three times the output of the Three Gorges Dam. President Xi Jinping has called for the project to be pursued with force and efficiency, framing it as a cornerstone of China’s renewable energy ambitions.

Experts describe the project as an unprecedented engineering feat involving tunnels and reservoirs stretching up to 150 kilometers through the Himalayas. However, India and Bangladesh, both downstream nations, fear severe ecological and hydrological impacts, including altered river flows, flooding, and displacement. Indian analysts have dubbed it a potential “water bomb,” citing its proximity to disputed borders.

While Beijing insists the project follows decades of research, limited transparency has fueled speculation about its environmental and geopolitical risks. Analysts warn that the dam could reshape regional water politics, potentially intensifying Sino-Indian tensions and affecting millions dependent on the Brahmaputra basin.