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

The project on a river that runs through Tibet and India downstream could dwarf the Three Gorges Dam when completed.

China has started construction of the world’s biggest hydroelectric dam, a project that’s set to be far larger than the Three Gorges Dam — already the world’s biggest single source of green power — and more expensive than the International Space Station.