The Three Gorges Dam, spanning the Yangtze River in China, currently holds the world record for installed capacity and annual hydroelectric power generation.. According to scientists, the dam produces between 95 and 112 terawatt-hours (TWh). But now, it seems, a new record holder will appear on Earth - China has approved the construction of a new largest hydroelectric power station in the world, writes New Atlas.

It is assumed that a new large-scale hydroelectric power station will be built on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet near the border with India. The project will cost US$137 billion and will be part of China's 14th Five-Year Plan.. Note that the plan includes environmental goals to accelerate the use of renewable energy sources and combat pollution.

U Focus. Technologies has its own Telegram channel. Subscribe so you don't miss the latest and most exciting news from the world of science!

The new dam's location is expected to take advantage of the river's steep topography to generate an incredible 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year than ever before.. To put it into perspective, this is enough to serve 300 million people in China and is almost triple what the current record holder, the Three Gorges Dam, can produce..

For example, the largest power plant in the United States, the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in Washington, is one of the largest concrete structures in the world and produces only 20 TWh per year. Hoover Dam, which straddles the Nevada-Arizona border, produces only 4.2 TWh.

The Yarlung Tsangpo River, which turns into the Brahmaputra when it flows into India, is one of the highest rivers on the planet. It originates in the Angsi Glacier in the Tibet Autonomous Region and is only partially responsible for the formation of the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon. Researchers know that the region is located on tectonic plates, and therefore is regularly subject to earthquakes, and is also one of the deepest canyons in the world - at its deepest point it reaches 6,009 meters. The canyon's valley is 504.6 km, making it longer than the Grand Canyon in the USA.

Experts note that all this gives the Yarlung Tsangpo River a drop of approximately 7,667 meters from its highest point to India, effectively making the river one of the most “hydropower-rich” in the world. Experts also note that the area near Mount Namcha Barka is an ideal place for the construction of a hydroelectric power station, since the drop here is 2,000 meters.

It is known that the construction of a dam at this site will require drilling several tunnels to drain water, the length of which will be about 20 kilometers. The water flow rate in this place is 2,000 cubic meters - for example, this is enough to fill three Olympic swimming pools in just a second..

At the same time, Indian authorities are expressing concern about the construction of the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. In particular, Indian officials are concerned about China's control of the river's flow and the impact it could have on the border between the two countries..

In turn, Chinese officials said that before the approval of the construction plan, large-scale geological studies were carried out in the seismically active zone - the results indicate that the construction of the giant can be completed quite safely. However, the construction timeline for the largest power plant in the world has not yet been announced..

Previously, Focus wrote that China is building a “Great Solar Wall”: enough energy for 20 million people.