China has just broken ground on what will be the world's largest hydropower project. The Yarlung Zangbo (Motuo) scheme will install five cascade dams along a 50 km stretch of the river, harnessing a 2,000 m drop. Total capacity exceeds 60 GW; annual output is estimated at about 300 billion kWh – roughly equal to Britain’s entire electricity use. At $167–170 billion, it dwarfs past projects. Chinese Premier Li Qiang calls it a “project of the century”. Construction began in mid-2025, and the first generating units are expected on line in the early 2030s. The bulk of this clean power will be exported eastward: officials say it will meet Tibet’s needs but “primarily delivered to other areas” of China as part of a West-to-East power transfer strategy.
