The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved • Hacker News Board

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#21

Post by tucnak » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:16 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #10

tomohelix wrote: post #3

Even before clicking, I already knew it would be in China. It has been a while since the US or other western countries have done a major public infrastructure project (compared to what have been done before). The US especially is lagging behind. How long has it been since the high speed rail system was proposed? China built a national network in less time than the US took to argue about how to build just one line bet…

We're still doing megaprojects [1]. They're focussed on air and roads, in transportation; aerospace (defence and civil); and sports. > How long has it been since the high speed rail system was proposed? China built a national network in less time China's population distribution (and lack of strong-form property ownership) makes intercity passenger rail a lot easier than in America. We absolutely should have it in the…

Drive-on/off rail?

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#22

Post by loloquwowndueo » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:19 PM UTC

rapsey wrote: post #16

Abekkus wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TikTok and Fox News and twitter and friends working as intended, sapping ambitions and attention spans and political wills.

DEI and environmental road blocks come from the other side of the isle.

*aisle unless I’m missing something and you’re talking about an actual island?

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#23

Post by loloquwowndueo » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:23 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #20

loloquwowndueo wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sports mega project? Heh, do tell more.

Quite literally a section in the Wikipedia article.

Aha, I’m just not sure a stadium has the same level of developmental or economic impact as a high-speed rail line, power generation, airports or road infrastructure. It’s also usually far less challenging: build new structure on old stadium’s parking lot, demolish old stadium and turn that into a parking lot, done. None of those new stadiums in the US even have the capacity of say Maracanã or Azteca, both built in the mid 20th century.

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#24

Post by voisin » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:24 PM UTC

tomohelix wrote: post #3

Even before clicking, I already knew it would be in China. It has been a while since the US or other western countries have done a major public infrastructure project (compared to what have been done before). The US especially is lagging behind. How long has it been since the high speed rail system was proposed? China built a national network in less time than the US took to argue about how to build just one line bet…

British Columbia just finished Site C:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Site_C_dam

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#25

Post by gosub100 » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:24 PM UTC

loloquwowndueo wrote: post #19

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're still doing megaprojects [1]. They're focussed on air and roads, in transportation; aerospace (defence and civil); and sports. > How long has it been since the high speed rail system was proposed? China built a national network in less time China's population distribution (and lack of strong-form property ownership) makes intercity passenger rail a lot easier than in America. We absolutely should have it in the…

Sports mega project? Heh, do tell more.

billion-dollar stadiums paid for by tax dollars for those poor billionaire sports team owners because their current stadium just doesn't work anymore :(. But think of all those jobs it will add to the economy from people selling beer and hotdogs.

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#26

Post by nimbius » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:25 PM UTC

tomohelix wrote: post #3

Even before clicking, I already knew it would be in China. It has been a while since the US or other western countries have done a major public infrastructure project (compared to what have been done before). The US especially is lagging behind. How long has it been since the high speed rail system was proposed? China built a national network in less time than the US took to argue about how to build just one line bet…

the profit motive informs a lot of this in the United States, and as capitalism enters its later stages one can be forgiven for expecting great works projects from the nation. the US is declining as a superpower and neither has the collective willpower nor vision to execute something like high speed rail. anti socialist propaganda prevents a lot of this as well but on the whole this is normal; nations rise and fall over time.

It bears remembering that Chinas communist party works in five year plans along thoughts (deng xiaopeng, xi jinping, mao zedong thought) to advance the primary state of socialism in the pursuit of communism. climate policy is actively factored into chinas GDP by the party. Since the 17th national congress china has clearly articulated plans for advanced manufacturing and green energy during plenary and study sessions that align with marxist leninist thinking. So while it may be tempting to attribute these massive green energy projects to chinese manufacturing power alone, its absolutely under the continued guidance of the communist partys mass line and central leadership committee and aligns with the governments objective of building a modern socialist society by the mid 21st century.

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#27

Post by consumer451 » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:25 PM UTC

rapsey wrote: post #16

Abekkus wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TikTok and Fox News and twitter and friends working as intended, sapping ambitions and attention spans and political wills.

DEI and environmental road blocks come from the other side of the isle.

DEI is to blame for the lack of infrastructure projects in the USA? Please, do share how this could possibly be connected!

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#28

Post by gmuslera » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:25 PM UTC

esperent wrote: post #4

They really avoided all but the briefest mention of the most important thing for any large project like this: the potential ecological effects, not to mention geopolitical since said ecological effects will be across the border in India.

There are ecological effects for not doing it too, and in global scale this time. Hydroelectric energy is pretty clean, specially compared with burning oil/coal/gas to make an equivalent amount of energy. At least if the priority is to keep growing and not some massive worldwide degrowth agreement.

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#29

Post by brightball » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:28 PM UTC

tokioyoyo wrote: post #7

tomohelix wrote: post #3

Even before clicking, I already knew it would be in China. It has been a while since the US or other western countries have done a major public infrastructure project (compared to what have been done before). The US especially is lagging behind. How long has it been since the high speed rail system was proposed? China built a national network in less time than the US took to argue about how to build just one line bet…

Mostly North American problem, not Western. Europe is still building gigantic bridges, rails, ports and etc. Not as fast as China, but it still happens. US/Canada is stuck on financial engineering loop, instead of… engineering. Big things happen when it’s required, but it feels like there’s no public nor political appetite for it.

If you look at it from a government project standpoint, there’s still the James Webb Telescope which is a monumental achievement IMO.

Outside of that, there’s plenty of private work having huge impacts like SpaceX and Starlink.

Re: The largest hydroelectric dam in the world has been approved

#30

Post by ramblenode » Sun, Jan 05, 2025, 2:28 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #10

tomohelix wrote: post #3

Even before clicking, I already knew it would be in China. It has been a while since the US or other western countries have done a major public infrastructure project (compared to what have been done before). The US especially is lagging behind. How long has it been since the high speed rail system was proposed? China built a national network in less time than the US took to argue about how to build just one line bet…

We're still doing megaprojects [1]. They're focussed on air and roads, in transportation; aerospace (defence and civil); and sports. > How long has it been since the high speed rail system was proposed? China built a national network in less time China's population distribution (and lack of strong-form property ownership) makes intercity passenger rail a lot easier than in America. We absolutely should have it in the…

"Megaproject" seems to be used pretty loosely in this list.

In my mind, renovating some airport terminals or adding extra lanes to a highway over a 10 mile stretch is not an ambitious "megaproject", just a typical infrastructure project. Certainly most of this stuff would not be considered megaprojects in China.