The world's 'tallest' dam costing £8bn to build

Construction is underway on what will be the world's largest dam. At 1,099 feet tall, it is an impressive plan and is costing a whopping £8 billion, according to the latest estimates. The Rogun Dam is located in in Central , on the Vakhsh River in the south of the country. It is expected to be fully operational by the year 2033, having been under construction since 2017. However, it has a history that stretches way back before then.

In fact, the building of the Rogun Dam first commenced in 1976 in the Soviet era but halted when the collapsed in 1993. After that, preliminary construction took place on the dam but was eventually suspended in 2012. Then, the Tajik government restarted the project in 2016. Like many similar megaprojects throughout history, the construction of this ambitious dam has been surrounded by political instability and economic issues.

Last year, the World Bank gave the project a $350 million International Development Association (IDA). According to a report last year, the Rogun HPP will provide about 10 million people in Tajikistan with better access to and help alleviate power shortages in the country, something that has become commonplace especially in the winter months.

The dam is expected to be capable of creating 17.1 TWh of electrical power per year once it is completed, and will consist of six turbines.

Antonella Bassani, the World Bank Vice-President for Europe and Central Asia, said in 2024: "The Rogun Hydropower Project can help Tajikistan and countries in Central Asia to accelerate their path to adopting , boost economic growth, and enhance climate resilience.

"Once the project is completed, households and businesses will be able to rely on much needed uninterrupted, affordable, and clean energy supply."

She added: "The World Bank brings substantial knowledge and experience to a project of this scale, from economic reforms to implementing large infrastructure under robust environmental and social standards."

The significant cost of the dam has built over the last number of decades, and some estimates put it as high as $11 million USD, or just over £8 billion.

As well as concerns over cost, the project has been criticised by people who are worried baout its environmental impact. Kazakhstan-based environmental organization, Rivers without Boundaries said in a statement: "The Rogun HPP project in its current, unfinished form poses a colossal threat to environmental stability and the well-being of millions of people in Central Asia.

"The applicants argue that the decision to finance the construction of the Rogun HPP was made by the World Bank's Board of Directors despite an incomplete and outdated Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), which does not adequately reflect the transboundary risks and cumulative impacts of the project on vulnerable ecosystems and people in the Amu Darya River basin."

Tajikistan is a mountainous country and considered one of the poorest nationes in Central Asia. However, there are hopes that this dam will bring in revenue for the country after it is completed and operational.

As well as economic growth, it is hoped that the dam will bring energy certainty to the nation of more than 10 million people.

The Rogun Dam has caused huge tensions with neighbouring Uzbekistan over concerns about a potential decrease in the downstream water which will affect agriculture in the country. In 2010, Uzbek President Islam Karimov called the Rogun "stupid" but in 2018, he dropped his opposition.