
The top 20 largest Hydropower stations in the world.
This list is ranked according to the installed capacity of Hydropower stations. Because it is difficult to compare each Hydropower station’s specific scale, height, length, width, and volume cannot accurately reflect the Hydropower stations’ scale.
The installed capacity is a good ranking criterion because the larger the installed capacity, the larger the Hydropower stations’ scale.
The top 20 largest Hydropower stations are updated in real-time according to the installed capacity on this page. So this ranking changes dynamically.
If a new super Hydropower station is built, it will be automatically inserted into the list to keep the list correct.
20Laxiwa Dam

Laxiwa Dam is located in Laxiwa Town, Guide County, Qinghai Province, and is built on the Yellow River.
The largest dam of Laxiwa Hydropower Station is 250 meters high and has 1.079 billion cubic meters of total storage capacity. The facility has six 700 MW turbines for power generation with a total capacity of 4,200 MW. The average annual power generation capacity is 10.223 billion kWh. The total investment is 14.9 billion yuan (US $2.2) billion ).
Laxiwa Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 拉西瓦水电站
- Other name
- Laxiwa Hydropower Station, 拉西瓦大坝
- Location
- Guide County, Qinghai, China
- Operator
- Upper Yellow River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd
- Cost
- 14.9 billion yuan ( US $2.2 billion )
- Began
- Dec-28, 2002
- Opened
- 2009
- Dam height
- 820 ft (250 m )
- Dam Length
- 1509 ft (460 m )
- Building Volume
- 3,681,800 m³ (130,020,000 cu ft)
- Type of dam
- Arch dam
- Installed capacity
- 4200
- Turbines
- 6 × 700MW
- River
- Yellow River
- Reservoi name
- Laxiwa Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 1,079,000,000 m³ (875,000 acre⋅ft)
19Xiaowan Dam

Xiaowan Dam is located on the Lancang River (Mekong) in Xiaowan Town, Fengqing County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province in southwest China.
The installed capacity of Xiaowan Hydropower Station is 4,200 MW. Construction started in 1999 and completed in 2010. It took 11 years and cost 32 billion yuan (US $3.9 billion). It was built by Huaneng Lancang River Hydropower Development Company and is the second tallest arch dam in the world, with a height of 292 m (958 ft).
Xiaowan Dam Data
- Country
- China
- Region
- East Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- 小湾水坝
- Other name
- Xiaowan Hydropower Station
- Location
- Xiaowan Town, Fengqing County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province, China
- Operator
- Huaneng Power International, Inc. (HPI)
- Cost
- 32 billion yuan ( US $3.9 billion )
- Began
- Jan-01, 2002
- Opened
- Mar, 2010
- Dam height
- 958 ft (292 m )
- Dam Length
- 2959 ft (902 m )
- Hydraulic head
- 251 m (823 ft)
- Top elevation
- 1,245 m (4,085 ft)
- Spillway type
- Crest/tunnel
- Spillway capacity
- 10,014 m³/s (353,641 cu ft/s) Flood discharge (all outlets): 20,709 m³/s (731,331 cu ft/s)
- Installed capacity
- 4200
- Turbines
- 6 × 700 MW
- River
- Lancang River
- Reservoi name
- Xiaowan Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 15,043,000,000 m³ (12,196,000 acre⋅ft)
- Active capacity
- 9,895,000,000 m³ (8,022,000 acre⋅ft)
- Catchment area
- 113,300 km² (43,700 sq mi)
- Reservoir area
- 190 km² (73 sq mi)
- Reservoi Surface elevation
- 1,240 m (4,068 ft)
18Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station

Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station is located on the Angara River in the Irkutsk Region of Russia. Construction of this gravity dam began in 1954 and was put into use in 1966. The installed capacity is 4,515 MW, and the average annual power generation is 22.6 TWh.
The maximum height of the dam is 408 ft (124.5 m) and the length is 3031 ft (924 m). by-wall house is 516 m long. Riverbank concrete walls all 506 m long, On the top of the dam are the track of the Taishet-Lena railway line and a vehicle road.
Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station has 18 Francis turbines, each of 250 MW, with an operating head of 106 m.
Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station Data
- Country
- Russia
- Region
- Eastern Europe
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- Братская ГЭС
- Other name
- Bratsk Hydroelectric Dam
- Location
- Bratsk, Russia
- Owner
- Irkutskenergo
- Began
- 1954
- Opened
- 1967
- Dam height
- 408 ft (124.5 m )
- Dam Length
- 3031 ft (924 m )
- Hydraulic head
- 108 m (354 ft)
- Type of dam
- Bratsk Reservoir
- Installed capacity
- 4,515 MW
- Turbines
- 15 × 250 MW 3 × 255 MW
- River
- Angara River
- Catchment area
- 5,470 km² (2,112 sq mi)
17Jinping-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)
16Tarbela Dam

Tarbela Dam is located on the Indus River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. the dam is about 30 km (20 mi) from the city of Swabi, 105 km (65 mi) northwest of Islamabad, and 125 km (80 mi) east of Peshawar.
The dam was completed in 1976 and was designed to store water in the Indus River for irrigation, flood control and power generation. The current installed capacity is 4,888 MW.
The dam is 143 meters (470 feet) high above the river bed. The dam's reservoir, Tarbela Lake, has a surface area of approximately 250 square kilometers (97 square miles).
Tarbela Dam Data
- Country
- Pakistan
- Region
- South Asia
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- تربیلا بند
- Location
- Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
- Owner
- Government of Pakistan
- Operator
- Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)
- Began
- 1968
- Opened
- 1976
- Dam height
- 470 ft (143.2 m )
- Dam Length
- 9000 ft (2743.2 m )
- Installed capacity
- 4888
- Turbines
- 10 × 175 MW 4 × 432 MW 3 × 470 MW
- River
- Indus River
- Reservoi name
- Tarbela Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 13.69 km³ (11,100,000 acre⋅ft)
- Catchment area
- 168,000 km² (65,000 sq mi)
- Reservoir area
- 250 km² (97 sq mi)
15Churchill Falls Generating Station

Churchill Falls Generating Station is Canada's second largest power station, located in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is an underground hydropower station.
Churchill Falls Generating Station has an installed capacity of 5,428 MW, which is after the Robert-Bourassa Generating Station in northwest Quebec.
The reservoir formed by the secondary power station is not composed of a dam, but surrounded by 88 dams, with a total length of 64 kilometers. Smallwood Reservoir, It fell more than 305 meters and reached the location of the 11 turbines of the plant.
The construction cost of the station in 1970 was nearly 1 billion Canadian dollars.
Churchill Falls Generating Station Data
- Country
- Canada
- Region
- North America
- Status
- In use
- Location
- Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Owner(s)
- CFLCo
- Official website
- nalcorenergy.com
- Operator(s)
- CFLCo
- Cost
- 946 million CAD ( About US $1 billion in 1970)
- Began
- 1967
- Opened
- 1974
- Building Volume
- 2,200,000 m³ (2,900,000 cu yd)
- Spillway type
- 88 rock-filled dikes
- Installed capacity
- 5428
- Turbines
- 11
- River
- Churchill River
- Reservoi name
- Smallwood Reservoir, Ossokmanuan Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 32.64 km³ (1.153×10¹² cu ft)
- Catchment area
- 71,750 km² (27,700 sq mi)
- Reservoir area
- 6,988 km² (2,698 sq mi)
14Robert-Bourassa Generating Station

Robert-Bourassa generating station is located in Baie-James, Quebec, Canada. With an installed capacity of 5,616 MW, the power station is the largest hydroelectric power station in Canada.
Formerly known as La Grande-2, it is a hydroelectric power station La Grande River is part of Quebec Hydro's James Bay project in Canada. Its 16 units were gradually put into use between 1979 and 1981.
The Robert-Bourassa generating station itself is located 137.2 meters (450 feet) underground, 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) downstream of the dam. It accommodates 16 Francis turbines, divided into two groups, each with 8 units.
It total cost abuot C$3.8 billion ( about US $3 billion ) in 1970s.
Robert-Bourassa Generating Station Data
- Country
- Canada
- Region
- North America
- Status
- In use
- Official name
- Centrale Robert-Bourassa
- Other name(s)
- La Grande-2
- Location
- Baie-James, Quebec, Canada
- Owner(s)
- Hydro-Québec
- Cost
- C$3.8 billion ( about US $3 billion )
- Began
- 1974
- Opened
- 1981
- Building height
- 531 ft (162 m )
- Total Length
- 9301 ft (2835 m )
- Surface elevation
- 175 m (574 ft)
- Type of dam
- Embankment dam
- Spillway capacity
- 17,600 m³/s (621,538 cu ft/s)
- Installed capacity
- 5616
- Turbines
- 16 × 351 MW Francis turbines
- River
- La Grande River
- Reservoi name
- Robert-Bourassa Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 61.7 km³ (50,000,000 acre⋅ft)
- Reservoir area
- 2,835 km² (1,095 sq mi)
- Maximum water depth
- 137 m (449 ft)
13Nuozhadu 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)
12Krasnoyarsk Dam

Krasnoyarsk Dam is a 124-meter (407 ft) high concrete gravity dam located on the Yenisey River about 30 kilometers (19 mi) upstream from Krasnoyarsk in Divnogorsk, Russia.
The hydropower structure includes a gravity concrete dam with a length of 1065 m and a height of 124 m.Including the left dam (length 187.5 m), spillway dam (225 m), blind channel dam (60 m), power station dam (360 m) and right bank dam (232.5 m).
Krasnoyarsk Dam Data
- Country
- Russia
- Official name
- Красноярская плотина
- Location
- Divnogorsk, Russia
- Operator(s)
- RUSAL
- Status
- In use
- Type of dam
- Gravity dam
- Began
- 1956
- Opening date
- 1972
- Height
- 124 m (407 ft)
- Length
- 1,065 m (3,494 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 6,000 MW
- River
- Yenisey River
- Reservoi name
- Krasnoyarsk Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 73.3 km³ (17.6 cu mi)
- Reservoir area
- 2,000 km² (772 sq mi)
11Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam

The Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam is located on the Yenisei River, near Sayanogorsk in Khakassia, Russia.It is the largest power plant in Russia.Construction began in 1963.
The arch-gravity dam is 242 metres (794 ft) high. It has a crest length of 1,066 metres (3,497 ft), crest width of 25 metres (82 ft), base width of 105.7 metres (347 ft) and maximum head of 220 metres (720 ft).
It consists of a solid left-bank dam 246.1 metres (807 ft) long, a power dam 331.8 metres (1,089 ft) long, a spillway dam 189.6 metres (622 ft) long and a solid right-bank dam 298.5 metres (979 ft) long.
Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam Data
- Country
- Russia
- Location
- Sayanogorsk, Khakassia, Russia
- Official name
- Сая́но-Шу́шенская гидроэлектроста́нция
- Operator(s)
- RusHydro
- Reconstruction costs
- 41 billion rubles (1.25 billion USD)
- Status
- In use
- Type of dam
- Arch-gravity dam
- Began
- 1963
- Opening date
- 1978
- Height
- 242 m (794 ft)
- Length
- 1,066 m (3,497 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 6,400 MW
- Turbines
- 10 × 640 MW
- River
- Yenisei River
- Reservoi name
- Sayano-Shushenskoe reservoir
- Total capacity
- 31.3 km³ (7.5 cu mi)
- Spillway capacity
- 13,600 m³/s (480,000 cu ft/s)
- Reservoi Surface elevation
- 621 km² (240 sq mi)
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)
9Grand Coulee Dam

Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water.
Constructed between 1933 and 1942, Grand Coulee originally had only two powerhouses. The third powerhouse, completed in 1974 to increase energy production, makes Grand Coulee the largest power station in the United States by nameplate-capacity at 6,809 MW.
Total cost:Original dam cost $163 million 1943 (About $ $1.93b for now), Third Powerplant cost $730 million 1973 (About $ $3.22b for now ).
Grand Coulee Dam Data
- Country
- America
- Location
- Grant / Okanogan counties, Washington
- Purpose
- Power, regulation, irrigation
- Cost
- Original dam: $163 million 1943 (About $ $1.93b for now) Third Powerplant: $730 million 1973 (About $ $3.22b for now )
- Operator(s)
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
- Status
- In use
- Type of dam
- Concrete gravity
- Began
- Jul-16, 1933
- Opening date
- Jun-01, 1942
- Height
- 550 ft (168 m)
- Length
- 5,223 feet (1,592 m)
- Volume
- 11,975,520 cu yd (9,155,942 m³)
- Spillway type
- Service, drum gate
- Spillway capacity
- 1,000,000 cu ft/s (28,317 m³/s)
- Installed capacity
- 6,809 MW 7,079 MW (max)
- Turbines
- 33: 27 × Francis turbines 6 × pump-generators
- River
- Columbia River
- Reservoi name
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt LakeBanks Lake
- Total capacity
- 9,562,000 acre⋅ft (12 km³)
- Active capacity
- 5,185,400 acre ft (6 km³)
- Catchment area
- 74,100 sq mi (191,918 km²)
- Reservoir area
- 125 sq mi (324 km²)
8Xiangjiaba 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)
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)
6Wudongde 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 )
5Guri Dam

The Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant, also Guri Dam, is a concrete gravity and embankment dam in Bolívar State, Venezuela on the Caroni River built from 1963 to 1969.
It is 7,426 metres long and 162 m high. It impounds the large Guri Reservoir with a surface area of 4,250 square kilometres (1,641 sq mi).
The power station had a combined installed capacity of 1750 megawatts (MW). By 1978, the capacity had been upgraded to 2065 MW, generated by ten turbines.
It total cost US $850 million (in 1960).
Guri Dam Data
- Country
- Venezuela
- Other name
- Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant
- Location
- Necuima Canyon, Bolívar
- Cost
- US $850 million (in 1960)
- Status
- In use
- Constructed by
- atkinson construction
- Began
- 1963
- Opening date
- 1978
- Height
- 162 m (531 ft)
- Length
- 7,426 m (24,364 ft)
- Volume
- Concrete: 6,026,000 m³ (212,806,182 cu ft) Earth: 23,801,000 m³ (840,524,383 cu ft)
- Installed capacity
- 10,235 MW
- Turbines
- Francis Turbines. 10 × 725 MW 4 × 180 MW 3 × 400 MW 3 × 225 MW 1 × 340 MW
- Type of dam
- Gravity/Embankment
- River
- Caroni River
- Reservoi name
- Guri Reservoir
- Total capacity
- 135,000,000,000 m³ (109,446,281 acre ft)
- Reservoir area
- 4,250 k㎡ (1,641 sq mi)
- Spillway type
- Service, controlled crest overflow
4Belo 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
3Xiluodu 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)
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)