DHAKA: China has begun generating electricity from Tibet’s biggest ever hydropower project, state-run media reported, the latest dam development on Himalayan rivers that has prompted concern in neighbouring India.

The first generating unit of the 9.6 billion yuan Zangmu Hydropower Station, which stands more than 3,300 metres above sea level, went into operation on Sunday, China’s official Xinhua news agency said, reports The Straits Times.

The dam on the Yarlung Zangbo river, known as the Brahmaputra in India, where it is a major waterway, will be 116 metres high when completed next year, according to reports.

It will have a total generating capacity of 510,000 kilowatts, Xinhua said, making it the largest dam ever built on the Tibetan plateau.

BDST: 1614 HRS, NOV 24, 2014