China to proceed with Brahmaputra mega dam despite new concerns
China is moving forward with its massive hydropower project on the Yarlung Zangbo River despite environmental concerns and recent natural disasters in the region. The project is a key component of China's 15th Five-Year Plan for renewable energy.
Why it matters
The dam project has significant geopolitical implications for water security and environmental stability in the border regions between China and India.
Fresh concerns triggered by the devastating glacial collapse along the Nepal-China border are unlikely to sway Beijing's plans to go ahead with the construction of a mega dam on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo, or the Brahmaputra River, in a seismically active region in Tibet near the border with India.
On July 23, 2026, a month before the August 26 flash flood and mudslides, China released its 15th Five-Year Plan for renewable energy, which called for advancing the construction of major projects, including the Yarlung Zangbo Lower Reaches Hydropower Project, as the mega dam project is referred to in China.
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