BEIJING, Oct 13 - China today operationalised its USD 1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, the largest in Tibet, built on the Brahmaputra river, which has raised concerns in India over the likelihood of disrupting water supplies.
Operationalising the dam, China said it will take into consideration India�s concerns and will remain in contact with New Delhi on this.
All six of the station�s units were incorporated into the power grid today, the China Gezhouba Group, a major hydropower contractor based in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province in central China, told State-run Xinhua news agency.
Located in the Gyaca County, Shannan Prefecture, the station harnesses the rich water resources of the Brahmaputra, known in Tibet as Yarlung Zangbo river, a major river which flows through Tibet into India and later into Bangladesh.
The dam, considered to be the world�s highest-altitude hydropower station and the largest of its kind, will produce 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year.
Asked about India�s concerns over the dam, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here that the two countries are in touch with each other over the river water issue during high-level visits. Also, the experts from both sides are in touch with each other.
�We will take into consideration the concerns of the Indian side and will remain in contact with them,� she said.
Reports in the past said that besides Zangmu, China is reportedly building a few more dams.
China seeks to ally Indian fears saying that they are the run-of-the-river projects which were not designed to hold water. The dams also raised concerns in India over their ability to release the water in times of conflict, which could pose serious risk of flooding.
An Indian Inter-Ministerial Expert Group (IMEG) on the Brahmaputra in 2013 said the dams were being built on the upper reaches and called for further monitoring, considering their impact on the flow of water to the lower reaches. The IMEG noted that the three dams � Jiexu, Zangmu and Jiacha - are within 25 kms of each other and are 550 kms from the Indian border. � PTI
