# List of largest hydroelectric power stations

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, 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.

## 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.
| Name | Country | Location | River | Installed capacity | Annual production | Area flooded | Reservoir volume | Years of completion |
| Three Gorges Dam | China | 30°49′15″N 111°00′08″E﻿ / ﻿30.82083°N 111.00222°E﻿ / 30.82083; 111.00222﻿ (Three Gorges Dam) | Yangtze | 22,500 MW | 111.8 terawatt-hours (402 PJ) | 1,084 km$^2$ | 39.3 km$^3$ | 2008/2012 |
| Baihetan Dam | China | 27°13′23″N 102°54′11″E﻿ / ﻿27.22306°N 102.90306°E﻿ / 27.22306; 102.90306﻿ (Three Gorges Dam) | Jinsha | 16,000 MW | 60.24 TWh (216.9 PJ) | | 20.62 km$^3$ | 2022 |
| Itaipu Dam | Paraguay Brazil | 25°24′31″S 54°35′21″W﻿ / ﻿25.40861°S 54.58917°W﻿ / -25.40861; -54.58917﻿ (Itaipu Dam) | Paraná | 14,000 MW | 103 TWh (370 PJ) | 1,350 km$^2$ | 29 km$^3$ | 1984/1991, 2003 |
| Xiluodu | China | 28°15′52″N 103°38′47″E﻿ / ﻿28.26444°N 103.64639°E﻿ / 28.26444; 103.64639﻿ (Xiluodu Dam) | Jinsha | 13,860 MW | 55.2 TWh (199 PJ) | 108 km$^2$ | 12.67 km$^3$ | 2014 |
| Belo Monte | Brazil | 03°07′27″S 51°42′01″W﻿ / ﻿3.12417°S 51.70028°W﻿ / -3.12417; -51.70028﻿ (Belo Monte Dam) | Xingu | 11,233 MW | 39.5 TWh (142 PJ) | 441 km$^2$ | 1.89 km$^3$ | 2016/2019 |
| Guri | Venezuela | 07°46′00″N 63°00′00″W﻿ / ﻿7.76667°N 63.00000°W﻿ / 7.76667; -63.00000﻿ (Guri Dam) | Caroní | 10,235 MW | 53.41 TWh (192.3 PJ) | 4,250 km$^2$ | 135 km$^3$ | 1978, 1986 |
| Wudongde | China | 26°19′29.4″N 102°38′2.2″E﻿ / ﻿26.324833°N 102.633944°E﻿ / 26.324833; 102.633944 | Jinsha | 10,200 MW | 38.91 TWh (140.1 PJ) | | 7.4 km$^3$ | 2020/2021 |
| Tucuruí | Brazil | 03°49′54″S 49°38′48″W﻿ / ﻿3.83167°S 49.64667°W﻿ / -3.83167; -49.64667﻿ (Tucurui Dam) | Tocantins | 8,370 MW | 41.43 TWh (149.1 PJ) | 3,014 km$^2$ | 45 km$^3$ | 1984, 2007 |
| Xiangjiaba | China | 28°38′57″N 104°22′14″E﻿ / ﻿28.64917°N 104.37056°E﻿ / 28.64917; 104.37056﻿ (Xiangjiaba Dam) | Jinsha | 7,798 MW | 30.88 TWh (111.2 PJ) | 95.6 km$^2$ | 5.16 km$^3$ | 2014 |
| Grand Coulee | United States | 47°57′24″N 118°59′00″W﻿ / ﻿47.95667°N 118.98333°W﻿ / 47.95667; -118.98333﻿ (Grand Coulee Dam) | Columbia | 6,809 MW | 20.24 TWh (72.9 PJ) | 324 km$^2$ | 12 km$^3$ | 1942/1950, 1973, 1975/1980, 1983/1984, 1991 |
| Longtan Dam | China | 25°01′38″N 107°02′51″E﻿ / ﻿25.02722°N 107.04750°E﻿ / 25.02722; 107.04750﻿ (Longtan Dam) | Hongshui | 6,426 MW | 18.7 TWh (67 PJ) | | 27.27 km$^3$ | 2007/2009 |
| Sayano-Shushenskaya | Russia | 52°49′31″N 91°22′15″E﻿ / ﻿52.82528°N 91.37083°E﻿ / 52.82528; 91.37083﻿ (Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam) | Yenisei | 6,400 MW | 29.4 TWh (106 PJ) | 621 km$^2$ | 31.3 km$^3$ | 1985/1989, 2010/2014 |
| Krasnoyarsk | Russia | 55°56′05″N 92°17′40″E﻿ / ﻿55.93472°N 92.29444°E﻿ / 55.93472; 92.29444﻿ (Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Dam) | Yenisei | 6,000 MW | 18.35 TWh (66.1 PJ) | 2,000 km$^2$ | 73.3 km$^3$ | 1967/1972 |
| Nuozhadu | China | 22°33′51″N 100°30′46″E﻿ / ﻿22.56417°N 100.51278°E﻿ / 22.56417; 100.51278﻿ (Nuozhadu Dam) | Mekong | 5,850 MW | 23.9 TWh (86 PJ) | 320 km$^2$ | 21.75 km$^3$ | 2014 |
| Robert-Bourassa | Canada | 53°47′43″N 77°26′26″W﻿ / ﻿53.79528°N 77.44056°W﻿ / 53.79528; -77.44056﻿ (Robert-Bourassa GS) | La Grande | 5,616 MW | 31 TWh (110 PJ) | 2,835 km$^2$ | 61.7 km$^3$ | 1979/1981 |
| Churchill Falls | Canada | 53°31′46″N 63°58′05″W﻿ / ﻿53.52944°N 63.96806°W﻿ / 53.52944; -63.96806﻿ (Churchill Falls Hydroelectric Power Station) | Churchill | 5,428 MW | 35 TWh (130 PJ) | 6,988 km$^2$ | 32.64 km$^3$ | 1971/1974 |
| Tarbela Dam | Pakistan | 34°05′23″N 72°41′54″E﻿ / ﻿34.08972°N 72.69833°E﻿ / 34.08972; 72.69833﻿ (Tarbela Dam) | Indus | 4,888 MW | 17.39 TWh (62.6 PJ) | 260 km$^2$ | 13.7 km$^3$ | 1976, 1992, 2018 |
| Jinping-II | China | 28°14′20″N 101°38′32″E﻿ / ﻿28.23889°N 101.64222°E﻿ / 28.23889; 101.64222﻿ (Jinping-II Hydropower Station) | Yalong | 4,800 MW | 24.23 TWh (87.2 PJ) | | 0.010 km$^3$ | 2014 |
| Bratsk | Russia | 56°17′10″N 101°47′10″E﻿ / ﻿56.28611°N 101.78611°E﻿ / 56.28611; 101.78611﻿ (Bratsk Dam) | Angara | 4,515 MW | 22.6 TWh (81 PJ) | 5,470 km$^2$ | 169.27 km$^3$ | 1961/1966 |
| Paulo Afonso | Brazil | 09°23′49″S 38°12′08″W﻿ / ﻿9.39694°S 38.20222°W﻿ / -9.39694; -38.20222﻿ (Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex) | São Francisco | 4,279.6 MW | | 117 km$^2$ | 1.4 km$^3$ | 1954/1974, 1979/1983 |
| Laxiwa Dam | China | 36°04′13″N 101°11′08″E﻿ / ﻿36.07028°N 101.18556°E﻿ / 36.07028; 101.18556﻿ (Laxiwa Dam) | Yellow | 4,200 MW | 10.23 TWh (36.8 PJ) | | 1.08 km$^3$ | 2010 |
| Xiaowan Dam | China | 24°42′19″N 100°05′32″E﻿ / ﻿24.70528°N 100.09222°E﻿ / 24.70528; 100.09222﻿ (Xiaowan Dam) | Mekong | 4,200 MW | 19 TWh (68 PJ) | 190 km$^2$ | 15 km$^3$ | 2010 |
| Ust Ilimskaya | Russia | 57°58′06″N 102°41′45″E﻿ / ﻿57.96833°N 102.69583°E﻿ / 57.96833; 102.69583﻿ (Ust-Ilimsk Hydroelectric Station) | Angara | 3,840 MW | 21.7 TWh (78 PJ) | 1,873 km$^2$ | 59.4 km$^3$ | 1980 |
| Jirau | Brazil | 09°15′0″S 64°24′0″W﻿ / ﻿9.25000°S 64.40000°W﻿ / -9.25000; -64.40000﻿ (Jirau Dam) | Madeira | 3,750 MW | 19.1 TWh (69 PJ) | 258 km$^2$ | | 2014/2016 |
| Jinping-I | China | 28°11′07″N 101°37′42″E﻿ / ﻿28.18528°N 101.62833°E﻿ / 28.18528; 101.62833﻿ (Jinping-I Hydropower Station) | Yalong | 3,600 MW | 17 TWh (61 PJ) | 82.5 km$^2$ | 7.76 km$^3$ | 2014 |
| Fengning PSP Station | China | 41°41′03″N 116°33′12″E﻿ / ﻿41.68417°N 116.55333°E﻿ / 41.68417; 116.55333﻿ (Fengning PS Hydro Power Station) | | 3,600 MW | 3.4 TWh (12 PJ) | | 0.070 km$^3$ | 2019/2021 |
| Santo Antonio | Brazil | 08°48′06″S 63°57′03″W﻿ / ﻿8.80167°S 63.95083°W﻿ / -8.80167; -63.95083﻿ (Santo Antonio Dam) | Madeira | 3,580 MW | 21.2 TWh (76 PJ) | 490 km$^2$ | | 2012/2016 |
| Ilha Solteira Dam | Brazil | 20°22′58″S 51°21′44″W﻿ / ﻿20.38278°S 51.36222°W﻿ / -20.38278; -51.36222﻿ (Ilha Solteira Dam) | Paraná | 3,444 MW | 17.9 TWh (64 PJ) | 1,195 km$^2$ | 21.2 km$^3$ | 1973 |
| Ertan Dam | China | 26°49′16″N 101°46′52″E﻿ / ﻿26.82111°N 101.78111°E﻿ / 26.82111; 101.78111﻿ (Ertan Dam) | Yalong | 3,300 MW | 17 TWh (61 PJ) | 101 km$^2$ | 5.8 km$^3$ | 1999 |
| Pubugou Dam | China | 29°12′34″N 102°50′11″E﻿ / ﻿29.20944°N 102.83639°E﻿ / 29.20944; 102.83639﻿ (Pubugou Dam) | Dadu | 3,300 MW | 14.6 TWh (53 PJ) | | 5.39 km$^3$ | 2009/2010 |
| Macagua | Venezuela | 8°18′14″N 62°40′04″W﻿ / ﻿8.30389°N 62.66778°W﻿ / 8.30389; -62.66778﻿ (Macagua II) | Caroní | 3,167.5 MW | 15.2 TWh (55 PJ) | 47.4 km$^2$ | 0.36 km$^3$ | 1961, 1996 |
| Xingó | Brazil | 9°37′14″S 37°47′34″W﻿ / ﻿9.62056°S 37.79278°W﻿ / -9.62056; -37.79278﻿ (Xingó Hydroelectrical Power Plant) | São Francisco | 3,162 MW | 18.7 TWh (67 PJ) | 60 km$^2$ | 3.8 km$^3$ | 1994/1997 |
| Yacyretá | Argentina Paraguay | 27°28′58″S 56°43′30″W﻿ / ﻿27.48278°S 56.72500°W﻿ / -27.48278; -56.72500﻿ (Yacyreta Dam) | Paraná | 3,100 MW | 20.09 TWh (72.3 PJ) | 1,695 km$^2$ | 21 km$^3$ | 1994/1998, 2011 |
| Nurek Dam | Tajikistan | 38°22′00″N 69°21′00″E﻿ / ﻿38.36667°N 69.35000°E﻿ / 38.36667; 69.35000﻿ (Nurek Dam) | Vakhsh | 3,015 MW | 11.2 TWh (40 PJ) | 98 km$^2$ | 10.5 km$^3$ | 1972/1979, 1988 |
| Bath County PSP | United States | 38°12′32″N 79°48′00″W﻿ / ﻿38.20889°N 79.80000°W﻿ / 38.20889; -79.80000﻿ (Bath County Pumped Storage Station) | | 3,003 MW | 3.32 TWh (12.0 PJ) | 3.3 km$^2$ | 0.030 km$^3$ | 1985, 2005/2009 |
| Goupitan Dam | China | 27°22′31″N 107°37′59″E﻿ / ﻿27.37528°N 107.63306°E﻿ / 27.37528; 107.63306﻿ (Goupitan Dam) | Wu | 3,000 MW | 9.67 TWh (34.8 PJ) | 94 km$^2$ | 6.45 km$^3$ | 2009/2011 |
| Guanyinyan Dam | China | 26°31′17″N 101°26′16″E﻿ / ﻿26.52139°N 101.43778°E﻿ / 26.52139; 101.43778﻿ (Guanyinyan Dam) | Jinsha | 3,000 MW | 13.62 TWh (49.0 PJ) | | 2.07 km$^3$ | 2014/2016 |
| Lianghekou | China | 30°09′46″N 101°00′49″E﻿ / ﻿30.16278°N 101.01361°E﻿ / 30.16278; 101.01361﻿ (Lianghekou Dam) | Yalong | 3,000 MW | 11 TWh (40 PJ) | | 10.77 km$^3$ | 2021/2022 |

### Under construction

This table lists stations under construction with an expected installed capacity at least 3,000 MW.
| Name | Country | Location | River | Expected capacity (MW) | Expected completion |
| TaSang | Myanmar | 20°27′23″N 98°39′0″E﻿ / ﻿20.45639°N 98.65000°E﻿ / 20.45639; 98.65000 | Salween | 7,110 | ?? (on hold) |
| Grand Ethiopian Renaissance | Ethiopia | 11°12′51″N 35°05′35″E﻿ / ﻿11.21417°N 35.09306°E﻿ / 11.21417; 35.09306﻿ (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) | Blue Nile | 5,150 | 2022-? |
| Diamer-Bhasha | Pakistan | 35°31′08″N 73°47′10″E﻿ / ﻿35.51889°N 73.78611°E﻿ / 35.51889; 73.78611﻿ (Diamer-Bhasha Dam) | Indus River | 4,500 | 2029 |
| Dasu | Pakistan | 35°31′10″N 73°44′21″E﻿ / ﻿35.51944°N 73.73917°E﻿ / 35.51944; 73.73917﻿ (Dasu Dam) | Indus River | 4,320 | 2026 |
| Rogun | Tajikistan | 38°41′03″N 69°46′26″E﻿ / ﻿38.68417°N 69.77389°E﻿ / 38.68417; 69.77389﻿ (Rogun Dam) | Vakhsh | 3,600 | 2018-2029 |
| Myitsone | Myanmar | 25°41′23″N 97°31′04″E﻿ / ﻿25.68972°N 97.51778°E﻿ / 25.68972; 97.51778 | Irrawaddy | 3,600 | ?? (on hold) |