Top 10 most expensive hydropower stations in the world.
This list includes the world’s top ten built hydropower stations sorted by project cost, all currencies are converted to U.S. dollars for unified comparison.
Generally speaking, the cost of a project is directly proportional to the scale of the project. The more expensive the project, the larger the technology and scale. The project cost reflects the difficulty and scale of the project. Therefore, this list also represents the world’s top 10 largest hydropower stations.
If a new super hydropower station is built, it will be automatically inserted into the list to keep the list correct.
10Longtan Dam
Longtan Hydropower Station is located 15 kilometers upstream of Tian’e County, Guangxi.
The power station started construction on July 1, 2001, and all of them were put into production by the end of 2009.
The design water storage level is 400 meters, the dam height is 216.5 meters, the dam crest length is 836 meters, the storage capacity is 27.3 billion cubic meters, the installed capacity is 6.3 million kilowatts, and the annual power generation is 18.7 billion kilowatt hours.
Longtan Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Location
- Tian'e County, Guangxi
- Official name
- 龙滩水电站
- Operator(s)
- Longtan Hydropower Development Co., Ltd.
- Purpose
- Power, flood control
- Cost
- US $4.2 billion ( ¥28.3 billion )
- Status
- In use
- Type of dam
- RCC dam
- Began
- Jul-01, 2001
- Opening date
- Jul-01, 2007
- Subject completion
- Dec, 2009
- Total Duration
- 9 years/dd>
- Height
- 216.2 m (709 ft)
- Length
- 849 m (2,785 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 6,426 MW
- Turbines
- 9 × 714 MW Francis-type
- River
- Hongshui River
- Reservoi name
- Longtan Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 27,270,000,000 m³ (22,108,149 acre ft)
- Active capacity
- 20,530,000,000 m³ (16,643,942 acre ft)
- Catchment area
- 98,500 km² (38,031 sq mi)
- Reservoi Surface elevation
- 400 m (1,312 ft)
9Jinping-II Dam
Jinping-II Dam is located in Sichuan Province in western China and is built on the Jinping River, a tributary of Yalong. It is the largest hydropower station on the Yalong River, with an installed capacity of 4,800 MW, a total investment of 29.7 billion yuan (US $4.3 billion), and an average annual power generation capacity 24.99 billion kW.h.
The main project of the power station started construction in January 2007. The last unit was put into operation on November 29, 2014, and Jinping-II Dam's construction was completed.
Jinping-II Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 锦屏二级水电站
- Other name
- Jinping-II Hydropower Station
- Location
- Yanyuan County and Muli Tibetan Autonomous County, Sichuan, China
- Owner
- Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd.
- Cost
- 29.7 billion yuan ( US $4.3 billion )
- Began
- 2007
- Opened
- 2014
- Dam height
- 121 ft (37 m )
- Dam Length
- 531 ft (162 m )
- Hydraulic head
- 310 m (1,020 ft)
- Type of dam
- Gravity dam
- Installed capacity
- 4800
- Turbines
- 8 × 600 MW
- River
- Yalong River
- Reservoi name
- Jinping-II Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 14,280,000 m³ (11,580 acre⋅ft)
- Active capacity
- 5,020,000 m³ (4,070 acre⋅ft)
- Catchment area
- 102,663 km² (39,638 sq mi)
8Nuozhadu Dam
Nuozhadu Hydropower Station is located at the junction of Simao District of Pu'er City and Lancang County in the lower reaches of Lancang River in China.
The normal water storage level of Nuozhadu Reservoir is 812 meters, the maximum height of the core wall rockfill dam is 261.5 meters.
The power station is equipped with 9 units of 650,000 kilowatts, with a total installed capacity of 5.85 million kilowatts, a guaranteed output of 2.4 million kilowatts, and an average annual power generation of 23.912 billion kilowatt hours.
It cost about US $6.6 billion ( 45 billion yuan ) and construction started in January 2006.
Nuozhadu Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Location
- Simao District, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, China
- Official name
- 糯扎渡水电站
- Operator(s)
- HUANENG Power Intl Inc.
- Cost
- US $6.6 billion ( ¥45 billion yuan )
- Status
- In use
- Type of dam
- Embankment, central core, rock-fill
- Began
- Jan, 2006
- Opening date
- Sep-06, 2012
- Total Duration
- 8 years
- Height
- 261.5 m (858 ft)
- Length
- 608 m (1,995 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 5,850 MW
- Turbines
- 9 x 650 MW Francis-type
- Spillway type
- Service, controlled side channel chute
- Spillway capacity
- 31,318 m³/s (1,106,000 cu ft/s)
- River
- Lancang (Mekong) River
- Reservoi name
- Nuozhadu Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 21,749,000,000 m³ (17,632,000 acre ft)
- Catchment area
- 140,000 km² (54,000 sq mi)
- Reservoir area
- 320 km² (120 sq mi)
7Tucuruí Dam
Tucuruí Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Tocantins River located in the Tucuruí County in the State of Pará, Brazil.
The main portion is a 78-metre-high (256 ft) and 6.9-kilometre-long (4.3 mi) concrete-gravity dam. The addition of the Mojú and Caraipé earth-fill dikes increases the total length to 12,515 metres ( 41,060 ft).
The installed capacity of the dam is 8,370 MW (11,220,000 hp). The construction of the first phase began in 1980 and ended in 1984, while the construction of the second phase began in 1998 and ended in 2010.
It totally costs US $7.63 billion.
Tucuruí Dam Data
- Country
- Brazil
- Official name
- Usina Hidrelétrica de Tucuruí
- Location
- Tucuruí, Pará, Brazil
- Cost
- US $7.63 billion
- Operator
- Eletrobras
- Status
- In use
- Began
- 1975
- Opening date
- 1984
- Height
- 78 m (256 ft)
- Length
- 12.5 km (7.8 mi) Main dam:6.9 km (4 mi)
- Type of dam
- Concrete gravity
- Spillway type
- Service, Creager-type, gate-controlled
- Spillway capacity
- 110,000 m³/s (3,900,000 cu ft/s)
- Installed capacity
- 8,370 MW
- Turbines
- 25 12 x 350 MW 11 x 375 MW 2 x 22.5 MW
- River
- Tocantins River
- Reservoi name
- Lago Tucuruí
- Total capacity
- 45 km³ (36,000,000 acre⋅ft)
- Reservoir area
- 2,850 km² (1,100 sq mi)
- Maximum water depth
- 72 m (236 ft)
6Xiangjiaba Dam
The Xiangjiaba Hydropower Station is located on the lower reaches of the Jinsha River at the junction of Shuifu City, Yunnan Province and Xuzhou District, Yibin City, Sichuan Province.
The height of the crest is 384 meters, the maximum height of the dam is 162 meters, and the length of the crest is 909.26 meters.
The installed capacity of the power station is 7.75 million kilowatts, It is total cost about US $8.2 billion ( ¥54.2 billion yuan).
Xiangjiaba Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Location
- Shuifu City, Yunnan Province, China
- Owner(s)
- Chinese government
- Official name
- 向家坝水电站
- Operator(s)
- China Yangtze Power
- Purpose
- Power, flood control, silt control, Irrigation
- Cost
- US $8.2 billion ( ¥54.2 billion )
- Status
- In use
- Type of dam
- Gravity dam
- Began
- Nov-26, 2006
- Opening date
- Nov-05, 2012
- Height
- 162 metres (531 ft)
- Length
- 909 metres (2,982 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 7,750 MW
- Turbines
- 4 × 812 MW, 4 × 800 MW，3 × 450 MW
- River
- Jinsha River
- Reservoi name
- Xiangjiaba Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 5,163,000,000 m³ (4,185,712 acre ft)
- Catchment area
- 458,800 km² (177,144 sq mi)
- Reservoir area
- 95.6 km² (37 sq mi)
5Xiluodu Dam
Xiluodu Hydropower Station is located in China. The section of Jinsha River Canyon between Leibo County, Sichuan Province and Yongshan County, Yunnan Province.
It is a typical “3 high 3 large” hydropower station. “Three highs” means high dam (300m level), high seismic intensity (basic intensity Ⅷ degree), high-speed water flow (close to 50m / s); “three highs” means large flow (maximum discharge is about 50000m³ / s), large underground Workshop (top arch span over 30m), large unit (single unit capacity 770MW).
It total cost about US $12.2 billion ( ¥79.2 billion yuan).
Xiluodu Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Official name
- 溪洛渡大坝
- Operator(s)
- China Yangtze Power
- Purpose
- Power, flood control, silt control
- Location
- Leibo County, Sichuan Province
- Cost
- US $12.2 billion ( ¥79.2 billion )
- Owner(s)
- Chinese government
- Status
- In use
- Began
- Dec-01, 2005
- Opening date
- Jul-01, 2013
- Subject completion
- Oct-01, 2015
- Total Duration
- 12 years
- Height
- 937 ft ( 285.5 m )
- Length
- 2,297 ft ( 700 m )
- Building Volume
- 6,800,000 m³ ( 240,140,129 cu ft )
- Installed capacity
- 13,860 MW
- Turbines
- 18×770 MW
- Type of dam
- Double-curvature arch, concrete
- River
- Jinsha River
- Reservoi name
- Xiluodu Reservoir
- Reservoir area
- 454,400 k㎡ (175,400 sq mi)
- Original water level
- 383 m
- Current water level
- 600 m
- Spillway type
- 7 × crest floodgates, 7 × orifices, 4 × tunnels
- Total capacity
- 12 km³(10,270,000 acre ft)
4Wudongde Dam
Wudongde Dam Hydropower Station is located at the junction of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in southwestern China. With a total installed capacity of 10,200 MW, it is one of the four power stations planned for China’s Jinsha River Hydropower Station.
Wudongde Dam Hydropower Station has a total cost about 120 billion yuan (US $16.9 billion).
Wudongde Dam is a concrete double-curvature arch dam, with a crest elevation of 988 meters, a maximum dam height of 270 meters, a bottom thickness of 51 meters, and a thickness-to-height ratio of only 0.19.
It is the world’s thinnest 300-meter super high arch dam and the first in the world. The entire dam is a super high arch dam constructed with low-heat cement concrete.
On June 29, 2020, the first units of the Wudongde Hydropower Station were officially put into operation for power generation.
Wudongde Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 乌东德大坝
- Other name(s)
- 乌东德水电站
- Location
- Between Sichuan and Yunnan, China
- Operator(s)
- China Three Gorges Corporation
- Purpose
- Power, flood control, navigation, Drought resistance
- Cost
- 120 billion yuan (US $16.9 billion)
- Began
- Dec-24, 2015
- Construction end
- Feb-16, 2020
- Opened
- Jun-29, 2020
- Total Duration
- 5
- Building height
- 886 ft (270 m )
- Total Length
- 1072 ft (326.9 m )
- Installed capacity
- 10200
- Turbines
- 12 × 850 MW Francis-type
- River
- Jinsha River
- Total capacity
- 7,600,000,000 m³
- Reservoi Surface elevation
- 3199 ft (975 m )
3Belo Monte Dam
The Belo Monte Dam (formerly known as Kararaô) is a hydroelectric dam complex on the northern part of the Xingu River in the state of Pará, Brazil.
The installed capacity of the dam complex is 11,233 megawatts (MW), Considering the oscillations of flow river, guaranteed minimum capacity generation from the Belo Monte Dam would measure 4,571 MW, 39% of its maximum capacity.
The Belo Monte Dam would be 90 metres (300 ft) tall and 3,545 metres (11,631 ft) long and have a structural volume (embankments included) of 25,356,000 cubic metres (895,400,000 cu ft) . the Bella Vista would be 33 metres (108 ft) high and 351 metres (1,152 ft) long and have a structural volume of 239,500 cubic metres (8,460,000 cu ft).
It total cost about US$18.5 billion (estimated).
Belo Monte Dam Data
- Country
- Brazil
- Location
- Pará, Brazil
- Cost
- US$18.5 billion (estimated)
- Owner(s)
- Norte Energia, S.A.
- Status
- In use
- Began
- 2011
- Opening date
- 2016
- Height
- Belo Monte: 90 m (295 ft) Pimental: 36 m (118 ft) Bela Vista: 33 m (108 ft)
- Length
- Belo Monte: 3,545 m (11,631 ft) Pimental: 6,248 m (20,499 ft) Bela Vista: 351 m (1,152 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 11,230 MW
- Turbines
- Belo Monte: 18 x 611.11 MW Pimental: 6 x 38.85 MW
- Type of dam
- Composite
- River
- Xingu River
- Spillway type
- Pimental: 17 gates Bela Vista: 4 gates
2Itaipu Dam
The Itaipu Dam was built by Brazil and Paraguay on the Parana River. It is located in the river section between the border of Brazil and Paraguay,Construction began In January 1975.
The total length of the dam is 7,235 metres (23,737 ft). The crest elevation is 225 metres (738 ft), The dam is 196 metres (643 ft) high, equivalent to a 65-story building.It consumed 12.3 million cubic meters of concrete, while the iron and steel employed would permit the construction of 380 Eiffel Towers.
The maximum flow of Itaipu’s fourteen segmented spillways is 62.2 thousand cubic metres per second (2.20×106 cu ft/s), into three skislope formed canals. It is equivalent to 40 times the average flow of the nearby natural Iguaçu Falls.
It total cost about US $19.6 billion.
Itaipu Dam Data
- Country
- Brazil/Paraguay
- Location
- Foz do Iguaçu，Hernandarias
- Cost
- US $19.6 billion
- Owner(s)
- Brazilian Government / Paraguay Government
- Official name
- Barragem de Itaipu
- Operator(s)
- Itaipu Binacional
- Status
- In use
- Began
- Jan, 1975
- Opening date
- May-05, 1984
- Total Duration
- 18 years
- Height
- 643 ft ( 196 m )
- Length
- 25,981 ft ( 7,919 m )
- Building Volume
- 12,300,000 m³ ( 434,370,000 cu ft )
- Installed capacity
- 14,000 MW
- Turbines
- 20×700 MW
- Type of dam
- Combination hollow gravity dam
- river
- Paraná River
- Reservoi name
- Itaipu Reservoir
- Reservoir area
- 1,350 k㎡ (520 sq mi)
- Original water level
- 104 m
- Current water level
- 220 m
- Reservoi Maximum length
- 170 km (110 mi)
- Total capacity
- 29 km³ (23,510,000 acre ft)
1Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam is located in Sandouping Town, Yichang City, Hubei Province, China.
It is a super national project built in 1994.and the construction took about 17 years.
It is 2335 meters long, 115 meters wide at the bottom, 40 meters wide at the top, 185 meters high, and has a normal water level of 175 meters.
The excavation and filling volume of the whole project is about 134 million cubic meters, the concrete pouring volume is about 28 million cubic meters, the consumption of steel is 593,000 tons, and the total installed capacity of the dam is 22.5 million kilowatts.
It totally costs about US $31.8 billion (¥248 billion yuan).
Three Gorges Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Official name
- 三峡大坝
- Operator(s)
- China Yangtze Power
- Location
- Sandouping Town, Yichang City, Hubei Province
- cost
- US $31.8 billion ( ¥248 billion yuan)
- Owner(s)
- Chinese government
- Status
- In use
- Began
- Dec-14, 1994
- Opening date
- May-21, 2003
- Completion date
- May 20, 2006
- Total Duration
- 17 years
- Height
- 607 ft ( 185 m )
- Length
- 7,661 ft ( 2,335 m )
- Building Volume
- 16,100,000 m³ ( 568,500,000cu ft )
- Installed capacity
- 22,750 MW
- Turbines
- 32×700 MW
- Type of dam
- Gravity dam
- river
- Yangtze
- Reservoi name
- Three Gorges Dam Reservoir
- Reservoir area
- 1,084 k㎡ (419 sq mi)
