China's hydropower plans in Tibet won't impact downstream water supply: official

[WorldNews]

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By Chen Aizhu BEIJING (Reuters) - China's plans to build large hydropower stations in Tibet are designed to meet growing domestic demand for electricity and will not have a major impact on the ecosystem or on downstream water supplies, a senior government official said. Tibet could become China's biggest hydropower generator, with its rivers capable of carrying a total capacity of 140 gigawatts, around a quarter of the national total potential capacity, according to government estimates. China last year started commercial operations of the Zangmu hydropower facility, the largest so far built in Tibet, and began building another plant in Shigatse earlier this year, also on the river Yarlung Zangbo, the upstream section of the transboundary Brahmaputra.

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