This article provides a list of the largest hydroelectric power stations by generating capacity. Only plants with capacity larger than 3,000 MW are listed.
The Three Gorges Dam in Hubei, China, has the world's largest instantaneous generating capacity at 22,500 MW of power. In second place is the Baihetan Dam, also in China, with a capacity of 16,000 MW. The Itaipu Dam in Paraguay and Brazil is the third largest with 14,000 MW of power. Despite the large difference in installed capacity between Three Gorges Dam and Itaipu Dam, they generate nearly equal amounts of electrical energy during the course of an entire year – Itaipu 103 terawatt-hours (370 PJ) in 2016 and Three Gorges 111.8 TWh (402 PJ) in 2020, because the Three Gorges experiences six months per year when there is very little water available to generate power, while the Paraná River continuously feeds the Itaipu with an ample supply of water year-round.
Energy output of the Three Gorges reaches 125 TWh (450 PJ) in years of high feed availability. The Three Gorges (22,500 MW - 32 × 700 MW and 2 × 50 MW) is operated jointly with the much smaller Gezhouba Dam (2,715 MW). The total generating capacity of this two-dam complex is 25,215 MW. The Itaipu on the Brazil–Paraguay border has 20 generator units with overall 14,000 MW of installed capacity. However, the maximum number of generating units allowed to operate simultaneously cannot exceed 18 (12,600 MW).
The Jinsha River (the upper stream of Yangtze River) complex is the largest hydroelectric generating system currently under construction. It has three phases. Phase one includes four dams on the downstream of the Jinsha River. They are Wudongde Dam, Baihetan Dam, Xiluodu Dam, and Xiangjiaba Dam, with generating capacity of 10,200 MW, 16,000 MW, 13,860 MW, and 7,798 MW respectively. Phase two includes eight dams on the middle stream of the Jinsha River. The total generating capacity is 21,150 MW. Phase three includes eight dams on the upper stream of the Jinsha River. The total generating capacity is 8,980 MW. The total combined capacity of the Jinsha complex with the Three Gorges complex will be 103,203 MW.
As of 2025[update], plans exist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the construction of a hydroelectric power station set to overtake the Three Gorges, with an installed capacity of 39,000 MW. The Project is called Grand Inga and is planned to be realised on the lower Congo River. As of 2014[update], China is working on a 50,000 MW dam as part of the Yarlung Tsangpo Hydroelectric and Water Diversion Project. Another proposal, Penzhin Tidal Power Plant, presumes an installed capacity up to 87,100 MW.
The largest hydroelectric power stations top the list of the largest power stations of any kind, are among the largest hydraulic structures and are some of the largest artificial structures in the world.
List
Completed
Only operational power stations with an installed capacity of at least 3,000 MW. Some of these may have additional units under construction, but only current installed capacity is listed.
Under construction
This table lists stations under construction with an expected installed capacity at least 3,000 MW.
See also
- List of conventional hydroelectric power stations
- List of run-of-the-river hydroelectric power stations
- List of pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations
- List of largest power stations in the world
- List of tallest dams in the world
- List of largest dams
- List of countries by renewable electricity production
- List of largest power stations in the United States
Notes
References
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Generating capacity is not the only factor determining the amount of electricity generated, as this also depends on consistent utilization of the plant's capacity. Factors enhancing this are the free capacity of the reservoir and the consistency of water supply during and across years. /wiki/Capacity_factor ↩
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First unit installed in 1984, 18th in 1991; in 2003, 2 additional units were installed. ↩
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First unit installed in 1942, 18th in 1950, 21st in 1991; 6 units in third powerplant were installed between 1975 and 1980, 2 units of pumped-storage plant were installed in 1973, 4 more units in 1983 and 1984. ↩
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10 units were installed between 1985 and 1989; after the 2009 failure, new units were installed between 2010 and 2014. /wiki/2009_Sayano-Shushenskaya_power_station_accident ↩
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Combined with adjacent La Grande-2-A the LG-2 complex has 7,722 MW of installed capacity /wiki/La_Grande-2-A_generating_station ↩
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750 MW commissioned as of August 2022 ↩
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760 MW commissioned as of October 2021 ↩
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