[News Spot] The World's Tallest Chinese-Built 'Lawa Dam'

'Lawa Dam' is the world's tallest hydroelectric dam currently under construction in China.

It is being built in the upper reaches of the Jinshajiang River, located at the border between Batang County in Sichuan Province and Mangkam County in Xizang (Tibet). With a height of 239 meters, it is the tallest in the world. It is 54 meters taller than the Sanxia Dam (185 meters) in Yichang, Hubei Province, which is the largest in China.

The Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric dam located in Yichang, Hubei Province, China, is releasing water in July 2020 to regulate the water level.
[Photo by Yichang Xinhua/Yonhap News]

China is pursuing goals to meet energy demand and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through hydropower, and the Lawa Dam is considered a key part of China’s hydropower plans. The Jinshajiang River is a major upper tributary of the Yangtze River (Changjiang) and plays an important role in supplying water and electricity to southwestern China. Chinese authorities are constructing several hydroelectric dams on the upper Jinshajiang, with the Lawa Dam being the largest among them.

The Lawa Dam, built by blocking the steep gorge of the upper Jinshajiang, will have a full reservoir level at an elevation of 2,702 meters above sea level and a storage capacity of 2.467 billion cubic meters. It is planned to generate approximately 9.089 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually. Chinese authorities expect this to save 2.82 million tons of coal each year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 6.85 million tons.

However, there are concerns that the construction of the Lawa Dam could damage ecosystems and impact the environment. The dam’s construction will cause flooding of submerged areas, alter downstream water flow leading to water quality deterioration, interfere with fish spawning, and increase soil erosion. Additionally, if the dam were to collapse or develop cracks, it could cause a major disaster.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported on the 19th that the National Development and Reform Commission of China has officially started construction of the Lawa Dam, with completion expected in 2027. The National Development and Reform Commission approved the dam’s construction in 2019 and completed the water flow blockage at the dam site in November 2021.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.