"This dam can almost power the state of Texas," an engineer told Newsweek, with the scale of energy produced "simply astounding."

The megadam is set to become the world’s largest hydropower system and, costing an estimated $167 billion, by far the most expensive megadam of all time. It is anticipated to provide 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, or around 4 percent of China’s energy needs.

Construction has officially begun on what Beijing calls the project of the century: a five‑station hydropower cascade on Tibet’s Yarlung Zangbo that China