Construction just kicked off on a $170B hydropower project in China. If all goes as planned, it would be the largest hydropower plant in the world. (NBC News)
The new dam promises 300B kWh of annual output—triple the capacity of the current largest hydropower plant, Three Gorges (also in China).
Yes, but: Beijing has offered few details on environmental or human impacts. The dam sits just upstream from India and Bangladesh, which fear disruption to water supplies and regional stability. Environmental groups warn the project could irreversibly alter fragile ecosystems on the Tibetan plateau.