science

List of conventional hydroelectric power stations

List of conventional hydroelectric power stations is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of conventional hydroelectric power stations rather than just read about it. In short: This is a list of conventional hydroelectric power stations. This list includes power stations that are larger than 1,000 megawatts (1.3×10^6 hp) in maximum net capacity, and are operational or under construction.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

This is a list of conventional hydroelectric power stations. This list includes power stations that are larger than 1,000 megawatts (1.3×10^6 hp) in maximum net capacity, and are operational or under construction. Those power stations that are smaller than 1,000 MW, or those that are only at a planning/proposal stage may be found in regional lists, listed at the end of the page.

Overview The largest hydroelectric power station is the Three Gorges Dam in China, rated at 22.5 gigawatts (30.2×10^6 hp) in total installed capacity. After passing on 7 December 2007 the 14-gigawatt (19×10^6 hp) mark of the Itaipu Dam, the facility was ranked as the largest power-generating facility ever built. The dam is 181 metres (594 ft) high, 2,335 metres (7,661 ft) long and 115 metres (377 ft) in width. Power is generated by 32 turbines rated at 700 MW (940,000 hp), and two turbines rated 50 MW (67,000 hp), which are used to power the facility itself. Construction of this dam commenced in 1994, and was completed in 2012, nearly two decades after it started. The next six largest dams, after the Three Gorges Dam, with capacity of more than 10 gigawatts (13×10^6 hp) are:

Baihetan Dam – 16 gigawatts (21×10^6 hp) Itaipu Dam – 14 gigawatts (19×10^6 hp) Xiluodu Dam – 13.86 gigawatts (18.59×10^6 hp) Belo Monte Dam – 11.233 gigawatts (15.064×10^6 hp) Guri Dam – 10.235 gigawatts (13.725×10^6 hp) Wudongde Dam – 10.2 gigawatts (13.7×10^6 hp) The Jebel Ali Power Plant, at 8.695 gigawatts (11.660×10^6 hp), is the largest non-renewable energy-generating facility in the world. The planned Grand Inga Dam, if completed, with capacity of 40 to 70 gigawatts (54×10^6 to 94×10^6 hp), is estimated to be nearly twice the size of the Three Gorges Dam. 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, 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, 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.

Hydroelectric power stations The following two lists rank the largest conventional hydroelectric power stations that have an installed electric power generation capacity of at least 1,000 MW.

Under construction

This table lists stations under construction with an expected installed capacity at least 3,000 MW.

See also List of largest dams List of largest power stations List of pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations List of run-of-the-river hydroelectric power stations List of tallest dams List of hydroelectric power station failures

Notes

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of conventional hydroelectric power stations

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of conventional hydroelectric power stations claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of conventional hydroelectric power stations before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of conventional hydroelectric power stations ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of conventional hydroelectric power stations

In research: List of conventional hydroelectric power stations appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of conventional hydroelectric power stations in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of conventional hydroelectric power stations is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Hydroelectric power stations, Lists of dams, Lists of hydroelectric power stations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of conventional hydroelectric power stations outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

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