Thomas J. Duesterberg, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, has expressed concerns regarding China's Great Bend hydroelectric project, describing it as part of China's "long-term drive to control the waters of the Tibetan Plateau." Duesterberg made these remarks in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on January 2.

"The Great Bend hydroelectric project, which would sit on China's contested border with India, would inflame tensions between the two giants and aggravate other South Asian nations," said J. Duesterberg, Senior Fellow, Global Economy, Trade, Economics, Energy. "The project is further evidence of China's long-term drive to control the waters of the Tibetan Plateau, which supply more than two billion people."

According to Duesterberg, China has approved plans to construct what will be the world's largest hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, near its contested border with India. The Great Bend hydroelectric project was announced on December 25 by state-run Xinhua and is expected to generate three times the power of the Three Gorges Dam, currently the largest hydropower facility. The $137 billion project aims to meet China's growing energy needs with cleaner power. Duesterberg said that this development would enable China to control water flow to South Asian nations, potentially affecting agriculture and water supplies in densely populated regions of India and Bangladesh. "It would reinforce Xi Jinping’s economic plan to rely on industrial production for growth, to the detriment of the local and global environment," he said.

Duesterberg also highlighted geopolitical implications, noting that "the Great Bend project would allow China to control the timing and quantity of water flows to South Asia, with enormous consequences for the region’s agriculture and freshwater supplies."

Chinese state media have reported that the project is environmentally sound and vital for its climate neutrality goals, according to BBC reports. However, critics warn of repercussions including displacement of Tibetan communities and ecological damage. China has not released figures on how many Tibetan communities might be displaced due to the project. The dam's location near India's disputed border could exacerbate tensions between the two countries while allowing China control over water flow to India and Bangladesh.

Thomas J. Duesterberg is a Senior Fellow specializing in Global Economy, Trade, Economics, and Energy at the Hudson Institute.