From Xinhua (link):
The first generating unit in a 100,000-kw hydropower project in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region is expected to go in operation and go on stream late this year.
Luo Zhongjun, deputy commander-in-chief for the Straight Pass hydropower plant being built on the Lhasa River, said the hydropower project is the biggest in Tibet. Although Luo says it is a major accomplishment for Tibet, he says, it doesn’t compare with the huge power projects in the economically developed eastern parts of the country.
The hydropower plant, with four generating units, each with a capacity of 25,000 kw, started construction in May 2003. The project has 80 percent of its 1.34 billion yuan (about 165 million U.S. dollars) investment from state coffers. Apart from to power generation, the hydropower project will also have a role of play in flood control and irrigation.
