Chinese authorities approve mega-dam

China’s environmental ministry approved construction plans for a 314-meter-high dam in southwestern Sichuan province, The Guardian reported, citing state-owned Xinhua news agency. The dam on the Dadu river would be the world’s tallest and cost US$4.4 billion. The ministry acknowledged the dam’s impact on rare fish and plant species and specified tactics to mitigate negative impacts. The State Council, China’s cabinet, still must give final approval to the project. A subsidiary of Guodian Group, one of the five major state-owned power firms, will build the dam over the course of a decade.