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Top 10 largest hydroelectric projects in the world

Hydropower is the main source of electricity for countries with many large rivers and lakes. To maximize the use of water, hydroelectric plants often have to build large dams to store water. Hydroelectric dams are the main and largest source of energy for a number of countries in the world, including Vietnam, China or Laos. Of course there will be large and small dams depending on the terrain and initial estimated capacity. In this article, we will introduce a list of hydroelectric dams with the largest capacity currently operating in the world.

1. Three Gorges Dam (China)

The Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydroelectric project in the world, blocking the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia. The dam was built with concrete for 14 years from 1994 to 2008 with a huge investment of up to 75 billion US dollars. Electricity produced from the Three Gorges hydropower plant supplies not only China's central power system (including the provinces of Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi) but also the Chongqing and Sichuan regions. Xuyen. However, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam also faced many criticisms due to concerns about environmental impacts, ecosystems, water level control as well as potential dangers caused by dam construction
Design capacity (MW): 22,500.
Location: Yangtze River, Hubei, China.
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2. Itaipu Dam (Brazil - Paraguay)

The Itaipu Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Parana River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The name "Itaipu" is taken from an island near the dam site... Itaipu Dam's hydroelectric power plant set a world record with an electricity output of 103,098,366 (MWh) and surpassed the electricity output of the home country. Three Gorges Dam in 2015 and 2016. The plant's installed capacity is 14 GW, with 20 generating units. Of the twenty generators, 10 generators at 50 Hz supply Paraguay and 10 generators at 60 Hz supply Brazil.
Design capacity (MW): 14,000.
Location: Panara River, border of Brazil and Paraguay.
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3. Xiluodu Dam (China)

Xiluodu Dam is an arch dam on the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze River in China. Located near Xiluodu town in Yongshan district, Yunnan province, the dam is located in Leibo district, Sichuan province. In addition, the dam also has the role of flood control, silt control and regulated water release to improve downstream water volume. Construction of the dam and power plant began in 2005. It is operated by China Yangtze Power and is currently the third largest power plant with the fourth highest dam in the world.
Design capacity (MW): 13,860.
Location: Jinsha River, China.
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4. Guri Dam (Venezuela)

The 162 m high Guri Dam is the main source of electricity for Venezuela. Starting in the 1960s, Venezuela minimized the use of oil to produce electricity to focus on oil exports, from which hydroelectricity became the main source of supply. Around 2006, Guri hydroelectric power output was also exported to Colombia and Brazil.


However, in recent years, due to prolonged droughts, river water levels have decreased, causing electricity output to not be enough to supply domestic needs, so the government has had to apply a policy of power cuts lasting from 2 to 4 hours. everyday. Although it plays a very important role in the economy, Guri hydropower also has a significant impact on the environment, destroying thousands of square miles of forest with high biodiversity around the Caroni River.
Design capacity (MW): 10,235.
Location: Caroni River, Venezuela.
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5. Tucurui Dam (Brazil)

Tucurui Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Tocantins River, Tucurui District, Para State, Brazil. The main purpose of the dam is to produce hydroelectricity and regulate water. This is the first large-scale hydroelectric project in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. The installed capacity of the 25-unit plant is 8,370 megawatts (11,220,000 hp). Construction of phase I began in 1980 and ended in 1984 while phase II began in 1998 and ended in 2010. The dam was featured in the 1985 film The Emerald Forest.
Design capacity (MW): 8,370.

Location: Tocantins River, Brazil.
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6. Grand Coulee Dam (USA)

Grand Coulee Dam is a dam on the Columbia River in the United States state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was built between 1933 and 1942, initially with two power plants. A third power plant was completed in 1974 to increase energy production. It is the largest power generation facility producing electricity in the United States and one of the largest concrete structures in the world.


After visiting the construction site in August 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt switched from supporting cheaper "low dams" to more profitable "high dams." The high dam project was approved by the United States Congress in 1935 and completed in 1942, with the first water passing through the dam's spillway on June 1 of that year.
Design capacity (MW): 6,809.

Location: Columbia River, USA.
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7. Xiangjiaba Dam (China)

Xiangjiaba Dam is a large gravity dam on the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze River in Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province, southwest China. This hydropower plant has eight Francis turbines, 4 units with a capacity of 812 MW and 4 units operating at 800 MW, total installed capacity is 6,448 MW. Xiangjiaba Dam is China's third largest hydroelectric dam after the Three Gorges Dam and Xiluodu Dam. Construction began in November 2006 and the first generating set was put into operation in October 2012.


The last generating unit was put into operation on July 9, 2014. Mainly the electricity produced from this hydropower plant is supplied to Shanghai city. The hydropower output is connected to the ±800 kV HVDC power transmission line, Shanghai Xiangjiabaay HVDC system, which transmits most of the power to Shanghai.
Design capacity (MW): 6,448.

Location: Jinsha River, China.
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8. Longtan Dam (China)

Longtan Dam is a roller compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam on the Red River in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, a tributary of the Xijiang and Pearl River. The dam is 216.2 meters high and 849 meters long, the tallest concrete dam in the world. The dam has seven spillways, two blowdown gates and an underground power plant. The Longtan ship lift, part of the dam complex, will be the tallest ship lift system in the world.


The dam was planned to be built in the 1950s. Construction on the dam officially began in July 2001. In 2009, the last generating unit went into operation and brought the total installed capacity to 6,426 MW, annual electricity output is estimated at 18.7 TWh. Long Than Dam is the highest gravity hydroelectric dam in the world with a height of 216m, located on the Red River, Guangxi, China. Dams are built to provide electricity, direct flow and control floods.
Design capacity (MW): 6,426.

Location: Red River, China.
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9. Sayano - Shushenskaya Dam (Russia)

Sayano - Shushenskaya Dam is located on the Yenisei River, near Sayanogorsk, Khakassia, Russia. This is the largest power plant in Russia and the 10th largest hydroelectric plant in the world in terms of installed capacity... The dam is built very solidly and can withstand the impact of earthquakes up to 8 degrees Richter. The dam is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most durable hydroelectric dam in the world.


Sayano - Shushenskaya Dam is the largest hydroelectric project and plays a very important role in the Russian economy, accounting for 25% of hydroelectricity supplied throughout Russia. However, during operation, this hydroelectric project encountered many serious incidents such as the 2009 explosion and many other instabilities.
Design capacity (MW): 6,499.

Location: Yenisei River, Russia.
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10. Krasnoyarsk Dam (Russia)

Krasnoyarsk Dam is a hydroelectric dam built across the Enisei River in northern Divnogorsk state, Russia. Built between 1956 and 1972 and providing 6,000 MW of electricity, it was mainly used to supply KrAZ. Both the power and aluminum plants are controlled by the company RUSAL. As a result of the construction of the dam, the Krasnoyarsk reservoir was created. This reservoir, commonly known as the Krasnoyarsk Sea, has an area of ​​2,000 square kilometers and an area of ​​73.3 cubic kilometers. It is 388 km long and 15 km wide, with an average depth of 36.6 m and a depth of 105 m near the dam.
Design capacity (MW): 6,400

Location: Yenisei River, Russia.
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