Satellite Photos Show Where China Is Building World's Biggest Hydro Dam

Satellite imagery gives a glimpse of the site where China has commenced construction on what will become the world’s largest dam and China’s most ambitious infrastructure project since the Three Gorges Dam.

Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Power Construction Corporation of China via email for comment outside of office hours.

Why It Matters

The mega dam will boost China’s green energy output and put the country a step closer to achieving President Xi Jinping’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060—although China remains the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

The controversial project has raised environmental and geopolitical concerns due to its impact on one of Asia’s most biodiverse river systems and the millions who depend on its water downstream in India and Bangladesh.

“To build the hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is fully within China’s sovereignty,” Guo Jiakun, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said at a regular press conference on Wednesday.

“China acts with a high sense of responsibility in harnessing cross-border rivers, and has rich experience in hydropower projects. The planning, design and construction of this newly announced project strictly follows the highest national industrial standards,” Guo said.

What To Know

The groundbreaking for the mega-project, which has an estimated cost of around $168 billion, took place on Friday at the southern reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Mainling, Nyinchi City, in the southwestern region of Tibet.

Using images of the event published by Chinese state media, open-source intelligence analyst Damien Symon was able to geolocate the construction site, he wrote Tuesday on X.

The site can be seen in the following images, captured by the ESA’s Sentinel-2 satellites on July 11, 2025.

China’s No. 2, Premier Li Qiang, who attended Friday’s ceremony, hailed the undertaking as the “project of the century” and stressed that measures must be taken to prevent ecological damage, state media reported.

However, India and Bangladesh have expressed concerns that the dam will affect downstream water flows, fisheries, and flood risks. Indian officials have highlighted the potential threat to local livelihoods and regional stability if river flows are altered without consultation.

The Yarlung Tsangpo River becomes the Brahmaputra in India and then the Jamuna in Bangladesh, serving as a critical freshwater source for millions.

What People Are Saying

Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press briefing on July 23: “The project, once completed, will help prevent and mitigate disasters along the entire Yarlung Tsangpo River, and will not adversely affect downstream regions. China is engaged in cooperation with downstream countries on sharing hydrological data, flood prevention and disaster reduction. We have had necessary communication with them on the project, and will continue enhancing cooperation for the benefit of all people along the river basin.”

Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi, on X: “China’s super-dam will disrupt the Brahmaputra’s natural flow of nutrient-rich sediment from the Himalayas—a lifeline for the river’s ecological health.

“The super-dam will also disrupt the Brahmaputra’s natural flooding cycle, which sustains fisheries and rejuvenates overworked soils. Without the seasonal delivery of silt, the floodplains of Assam and Bangladesh will lose their natural fertility.”

What Happens Next

The Medog dam will comprise five cascade hydropower stations and is expected to begin operating sometime in the 2030s. Once it does, the project eclipses the output and scale of China’s colossal Three Gorges Dam.

The initiative, managed by the newly formed state-owned China Yajiang Group, aims to produce up to 300 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity annually—on par with the amount of electricity in the United Kingdom last year.

Update 7/23/25, 6:55 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.