Chinese environmental authorities have approved construction plans for what could become the world’s tallest dam, while acknowledging that the project would affect endangered plants and rare fish species.<\/p>\n
The 314 metre-high dam (1,030ft) will serve the Shuangjiangkou hydropower project along the Dadu river in south-western Sichuan province, according to China’s state news agency, Xinhua. A subsidiary of Guodian Group, one of China’s five major state-owned power companies, will complete the project over a decade at an estimated cost of \u00a32.9bn.<\/p>\n
The dam will be far taller than the 185 metre-high Three Gorges dam along the Yangtze river \u2013 the world’s most powerful hydroelectric project \u2013 and slightly edge out the current record holder, the 300 metre-high Nurek dam in Tajikistan. The world’s second-tallest dam, the 292 metre-high Xiaowan dam on the Lancang (Mekong) river, is also in China.<\/p>\n
China’s environment ministry acknowledged that the dam would have an impact on the area’s highly biodiverse flora and fauna.<\/p>\n
“The project will affect the spawning and movement of rare fish species, as well as the growth of endangered plants, including the Chinese yew, which is under first-class state protection,” the ministry said, according to Xinhua.<\/p>\n
The ministry proposed counter-measures to mitigate the environmental impact, such as “protecting fish habitats in tributaries, building fish ladders and increasing fish breeding and releasing”, Xinhua reported. The project is still awaiting a final go-ahead from China’s state council.<\/p>\n
The Dadu river is a tributary of the 450 mile-long Min river, which cuts through the centre of Sichuan province before joining the Yangtze further south.<\/p>\n
Upon completion, the plant will have a total installed capacity of 2GW and produce nearly 8bn KW-hours of energy a year, about twice as much as the Hoover dam in the US.<\/p>\n