50 of the world’s **largest hydropower > Eco-Friendly Solar Energy Tech

Below is an **approximate** list of 50 of the world’s **largest hydropower (hydroelectric) stations**, generally ranked by **installed capacity** (the maximum power output they can produce). Because hydropower projects are often expanded or upgraded, exact rankings can change over time, and different sources sometimes aggregate multi-dam complexes in varying ways. The capacities shown are best estimates from publicly available data and may not reflect the very latest expansions. Nonetheless, this overview provides a sense of which facilities currently dominate global hydropower generation.

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## Top 50 Largest Hydropower Stations (Approximate Ranking by Capacity)

| **Rank** | **Power Station**                  | **Country**              | **Approx. Capacity (MW)** | **Key Details**                                                                                                                                                          |
|----------|-------------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **1**    | **Three Gorges Dam**                | China                    | 22,500                    | World’s largest installed capacity; located on the Yangtze River.                                                                                                        |
| **2**    | **Itaipu Dam**                      | Brazil / Paraguay        | 14,000                    | Spans the Paraná River; co-owned by Brazil and Paraguay. Historically notable for very high annual generation.                                                            |
| **3**    | **Xiluodu Dam**                    | China                    | 13,860                    | On the Jinsha River (upper Yangtze); part of China’s major hydropower expansion.                                                                                          |
| **4**    | **Belo Monte Dam**                  | Brazil                  | 11,233                    | Located on the Xingu River in Pará; one of Brazil’s newest massive hydropower complexes.                                                                                  |
| **5**    | **Guri Dam (Raúl Leoni)**          | Venezuela                | 10,235                    | On the Caroní River; supplies the majority of Venezuela’s electricity.                                                                                                    |
| **6**    | **Wudongde Dam**                    | China                    | 10,200                    | Another major project on the Jinsha River; commissioned in phases starting 2020.                                                                                          |
| **7**    | **Tucuruí Dam**                    | Brazil                  | 8,370                    | On the Tocantins River; first large-scale hydropower plant built in the Amazon region.                                                                                    |
| **8**    | **Grand Coulee Dam**                | United States (Washington State) | 6,809                    | Largest hydropower station in the U.S.; built on the Columbia River.                                                                                                      |
| **9**    | **Xiangjiaba Dam**                  | China                    | 6,448                    | On the Jinsha River; upstream from the Three Gorges Dam complex.                                                                                                          |
| **10**  | **Longtan Dam**                    | China                    | 6,426                    | On the Hongshui River in Guangxi; notable for its large flood-control capacity.                                                                                          |
| **11**  | **Sayano–Shushenskaya Dam**        | Russia                  | 6,400                    | On the Yenisei River in Siberia; experienced a major accident in 2009, later restored.                                                                                    |
| **12**  | **Krasnoyarsk Dam**                | Russia                  | 6,000                    | Also on the Yenisei River; features a distinctive ship lift.                                                                                                              |
| **13**  | **Nuozhadu Dam**                    | China                    | 5,850                    | Situated on the Lancang (Mekong) River; part of a cascade of Chinese hydropower dams.                                                                                    |
| **14**  | **Robert-Bourassa (La Grande-2)**  | Canada (Quebec)          | 5,616                    | Key station in the James Bay Project; operated by Hydro-Québec.                                                                                                          |
| **15**  | **Churchill Falls**                | Canada (Labrador)        | 5,428                    | On the Churchill River; major supplier to Newfoundland and Labrador & neighboring provinces.                                                                              |
| **16**  | **Tarbela Dam**                    | Pakistan                | 4,888                    | Located on the Indus River; one of the world’s largest earth-filled dams.                                                                                                |
| **17**  | **Jinping-II Dam**                  | China                    | 4,800                    | Part of the Jinping Cascade on the Yalong River in Sichuan Province.                                                                                                      |
| **18**  | **Bratsk Dam**                      | Russia                  | 4,500                    | On the Angara River in Siberia; once considered the world’s largest power station (by installed capacity) in the 1960s.                                                  |
| **19**  | **Ust-Ilimsk Dam**                  | Russia                  | 4,320                    | Also on the Angara River, downstream from the Bratsk Dam.                                                                                                                |
| **20**  | **Xiaowan Dam**                    | China                    | 4,200                    | On the Lancang (Upper Mekong) River; known for its very tall concrete arch design.                                                                                      |
| **21**  | **Jirau Dam**                      | Brazil                  | 3,750                    | On the Madeira River, upstream of the Santo Antônio Dam; part of Brazil’s major Amazon hydropower expansion.                                                            |
| **22**  | **Ertan Dam**                      | China                    | 3,300                    | On the Yalong River; among the earliest large Chinese hydropower projects completed in the late 1990s.                                                                  |
| **23**  | **Xingo Dam**                      | Brazil (Alagoas/Sergipe)| 3,162                    | Located on the São Francisco River; a key power source for northeastern Brazil.                                                                                        |
| **24**  | **Nurek Dam**                      | Tajikistan              | 3,015                    | Tallest dam in the world (300+ m) until Rogun (Tajikistan) completes; on the Vakhsh River.                                                                              |
| **25**  | **Chief Joseph Dam**                | United States (Washington State) | 2,620                    | Also on the Columbia River; a major run-of-river hydropower facility operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.                                                      |
| **26**  | **Gibe III Dam**                    | Ethiopia                | 1,870                    | On the Omo River; significantly expanded Ethiopia’s power capacity upon commissioning.                                                                                  |
| **27**  | **Mica Dam**                        | Canada (British Columbia)| 1,805                    | Part of the Columbia River Treaty projects; supports downstream flood control and generation.                                                                          |
| **28**  | **La Grande-3**                    | Canada (Quebec)          | 2,417                    | Another station within the vast James Bay Project; often grouped with La Grande-2 and -4.                                                                                |
| **29**  | **Kashiwazaki-Kariwa** (Pumped Storage)* | Japan                | ~1,600–1,900 (varies)    | *If including pumped storage. Japan has multiple large pumped-storage stations that can exceed 1 GW in generating mode.                                                |
| **30**  | **Srisailam Dam**                  | India (Andhra Pradesh)  | 1,670                    | On the Krishna River; also used for irrigation and flood control.                                                                                                        |
| **31**  | **Inga I & II**                    | DR Congo                | ~1,775 combined          | Future expansions (Inga III & Grand Inga) could become some of the world’s largest hydropower projects.                                                                |
| **32**  | **Glen Canyon Dam**                | United States (Arizona)  | 1,320                    | Creates Lake Powell on the Colorado River; second-largest reservoir in the U.S. after Lake Mead.                                                                        |
| **33**  | **Hoover Dam**                      | United States (Arizona/Nevada) | ~2,080 (originally), can vary | Famous U.S. landmark; supplies power to Arizona, Nevada, California. Water levels affect real capacity.                                                              |
| **34**  | **La Grande-4**                    | Canada (Quebec)          | 2,779                    | Another major plant in the James Bay complex; integral to Hydro-Québec’s grid.                                                                                        |
| **35**  | **Toktogul Dam**                    | Kyrgyzstan              | ~1,200                    | Largest power station in Kyrgyzstan; on the Naryn River.                                                                                                                |
| **36**  | **Hoa Binh Dam**                    | Vietnam                  | 1,920                    | On the Black River; once the largest hydropower plant in Southeast Asia before Son La Dam was built.                                                                    |
| **37**  | **Son La Dam**                      | Vietnam                  | 2,400                    | Now Vietnam’s largest hydropower facility; on the Da River, completed in 2012.                                                                                        |
| **38**  | **Teles Pires Dam**                | Brazil                  | 1,820                    | On the Teles Pires River in the Amazon region; part of Brazil’s efforts to harness northern water resources.                                                          |
| **39**  | **Ghazi Barotha Dam**              | Pakistan                | 1,450                    | A run-of-river project on the Indus River, downstream of Tarbela.                                                                                                      |
| **40**  | **Santo Antônio Dam**              | Brazil (Madeira River)  | ~3,568 (ultimate planned) | Often listed alongside Jirau Dam; capacity expansions continue.                                                                                                        |
| **41**  | **Magat Dam**                      | Philippines              | 360 (hydro only)          | Multi-purpose dam on the Magat River (flood control, irrigation); smaller capacity but regionally significant.                                                        |
| **42**  | **Zeya Dam**                        | Russia (Amur Oblast)    | 1,330                    | On the Zeya River, an important electricity source for the Far East of Russia.                                                                                        |
| **43**  | **Karun-3 Dam**                    | Iran                    | 2,280                    | Largest in Iran, on the Karun River; combined irrigation and power generation.                                                                                        |
| **44**  | **Merowe Dam**                      | Sudan                    | 1,250                    | On the Nile’s fourth cataract; expanded Sudan’s electrification.                                                                                                      |
| **45**  | **Bhakra Dam**                      | India (Himachal Pradesh) | 1,325                    | On the Sutlej River; also critical for irrigation and water storage in North India.                                                                                    |
| **46**  | **Grand Renaissance (GERD)**        | Ethiopia                | Planned ~5,150–6,000+    | Under construction on the Blue Nile; once completed, will be among Africa’s largest.                                                                                  |
| **47**  | **Rogun Dam**                        | Tajikistan              | Planned up to ~3,600      | Under development on the Vakhsh River; expected to surpass Nurek in height and capacity.                                                                              |
| **48**  | **Kapanda Dam**                    | Angola                  | 520                      | Notable in Angola’s post-war reconstruction; smaller capacity but regionally important.                                                                              |
| **49**  | **Möhne Reservoir & Dam**          | Germany                  | ~134 (small in global terms) | Famous historically; included here as an example of early 20th-century large-dam construction in Europe.                                                          |
| **50**  | **Dniester Pumped Storage**        | Ukraine                  | Planned up to 2,268 (pumped) | Large pumped-storage hydro facility; partial units are operational, expansions ongoing.                                                                              |

> **Note**: 
> 1. Some **pumped-storage** hydropower plants can have very high installed capacities, but they primarily store and re-use water rather than providing a net new water source. They are sometimes listed separately from conventional hydropower. 
> 2. Many large **hydro complexes** (e.g., on Canada’s La Grande River or Russia’s Angara River) consist of multiple dams; some sources aggregate them into one “project” while others list each facility individually. 
> 3. Water availability, reservoir levels, and maintenance can cause **actual generating capacity** to vary from nameplate capacity. 
> 4. Several major projects (such as **Grand Inga** in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and **Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam**) are under construction or planned; once completed, they could significantly alter these rankings. 

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### Key Observations

1. **China and Brazil Lead** 
  - China’s massive projects on the Yangtze, Jinsha, and Lancang Rivers dominate the top 10. 
  - Brazil has multiple large dams (Tucuruí, Belo Monte, Jirau, Santo Antônio, and Xingo) spread across different river systems in the Amazon and beyond.

2. **Global Distribution** 
  - Large hydro stations exist worldwide: from North and South America (Grand Coulee, Itaipu) to Russia (Sayano–Shushenskaya), to Africa (Gibe III, Inga), to Central Asia (Nurek, Rogun).

3. **Multifunctional Roles** 
  - Most large dams provide not only electricity but also **flood control**, **irrigation**, **navigation**, and **drinking water** supply.

4. **Environmental and Social Impact** 
  - Large dams often involve **significant resettlement**, ecosystem changes, and debates around environmental sustainability. Modern projects typically include more rigorous environmental assessments.

5. **Future Developments** 
  - Projects under construction (e.g., Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Rogun Dam) or proposed expansions (e.g., Grand Inga in the D.R. Congo) could join or reshape the top-tier list once completed.

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**In summary**, hydropower remains one of the most important **renewable** and **low-carbon** energy sources, with these mega-dams contributing significantly to regional power grids. While many of the largest hydropower stations are already operational, ongoing and future projects will continue to redefine global capacity rankings in the coming years.