Big Dam Gallery
How is China able to build more big dams within its borders than in the rest of the world combined? Through stealing dam technology from the West, mastering it, and making it much cheaper in China. And then proceeding on reckless dam-building — with total disregard for any cost to the environment, to the people along the rivers involved, and with total disregard to the impact on the nations downstream.
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 24 37 19 N, 100 26 55 E Manwan Dam, Mekong River, Yunnan Capacity 1,750 MW, wall-height 132m |
 24 42 18 N, 100 05 27 E Xiaowan Dam, Mekong River, Yunnan Capacity 4,200 MW, wall-height: 292m |
 Jinghong Dam, Mekong River, Yunnan wall height 110m |
 Lijiaxia Dam, Yellow River, Qinghai: wall height 155m |
 Longyangxia Dam, Yellow River, Qinghai: wall height 178m |
 Zhiganglaka, Yellow River, Qinghai |
 26 48 31 N, 100 26 46 E Jinganqiao Dam (under construction) Yangtse River, Yunnan Capacity 465 MW, wall-height 156m |
 35 52.5528 N, 102 13.5419 E Gongboxia Dam, Yellow River: wall height 135m |
 32 31.0476 N, 105 36.3752 E Baozhusi Dam, Bailong River, Sichuan: wall height 132m |
 29 58 07 N, 91 52 43 E Zhikong Hydropower Project Lhasa River (Kyi Chu), Central Tibet Capacity 100 MW, wall-height 47m |
 Yamdrok Tso Powerstation Water Outlet on Yarlung Tsangpo, Central Tibet |
 Ngari Dam, Indus River, West Tibet |
Big Dams, Big Tunnels
30 48 21 N, 97 19 58 E
Jinhe Dam, Chamdo Prefecture
Altitude: 3250 metres
Jinhe Dam is on Jinhe (Gold) River, a tributary of the Mekong. Dam capacity is 60MW. It is connected by a tunnel over a kilometre long to Jinhe HPP power station, on the Mekong. The tunnelling is not visible on Google Earth, but it is certainly there. This is a favoured configuration for Chinese dam-building at a V-bend of a river. China's tunnel engineering is probably the world's most sophisticated.