Power Generation · Ranked

The Largest Hydroelectric Dams by Capacity

Hydroelectric dams ranked by installed generating capacity in megawatts, with height, river and completion year. The top 50 total 224 GW.

How this is ranked: Installed capacity is the maximum nameplate output, not actual annual generation — a dam in a seasonal monsoon basin may produce far less of its rating than one on a steady-flow river. The two measures diverge widely.

Entries Ranked: 50
Top Ranked: 22,500 MW
Runner-Up: 16,000 MW
Ranked By: Capacity

The Largest Hydroelectric Dams by Capacity
#	Name	Capacity	Height	River	Completed
1	Three Gorges Dam	22,500 MW	181 m	Yangtze	2012
2	Baihetan Dam	16,000 MW	289 m	Jinsha	2021
3	Itaipu Dam	14,000 MW	196 m	Paraná	1984
4	Xiluodu Dam	13,860 MW	285.5 m	Jinsha (Yangtze)	2013
5	Belo Monte Dam	11,233 MW	90 m	Xingu	2019
6	Guri Dam (Simón Bolívar)	10,235 MW	162 m	Caroní	1986
7	Wudongde Dam	10,200 MW	240 m	Jinsha (Yangtze)	2021
8	Tucuruí Dam	8,370 MW	78 m	Tocantins (Amazon Basin)	1984
9	Grand Coulee Dam	6,809 MW	168 m	Columbia	1942
10	Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam	6,400 MW	242 m	Yenisey	1978
11	Xiangjiaba Dam	6,400 MW	162 m	Jinsha (Yangtze)	2012
12	Nuozhadu Dam	5,850 MW	261.5 m	Mekong (Lancang)	2014
13	Robert-Bourassa Dam (LG-2)	5,616 MW	162 m	La Grande	1979
14	Churchill Falls	5,428 MW	61 m	Churchill	1971
15	Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)	5,150 MW	145 m	Blue Nile	2023
16	Tarbela Dam	4,888 MW	143 m	Indus	1976
17	Xiaowan Dam	4,200 MW	292 m	Mekong (Lancang)	2010
18	Jinping-I Dam	3,600 MW	305 m	Yalong	2013
19	Yacyretá Dam	3,200 MW	21 m	Paraná	1998
20	Nurek Dam	3,015 MW	300 m	Vakhsh	1980
21	Goupitan Dam	3,000 MW	232.5 m	Wu River (Yangtze)	2009
22	Guanyinyan Dam	3,000 MW	159 m	Jinsha (Yangtze)	2014
23	Volgograd Dam (Volzhskaya HPP)	2,671 MW	44 m	Volga	1961
24	Daniel-Johnson Dam (Manic-5)	2,660 MW	214 m	Manicouagan	1970
25	Kuybyshev Dam (Zhiguli HPP)	2,488 MW	52 m	Volga	1957
26	Liyuan Dam	2,420 MW	155 m	Jinsha (Yangtze)	2014
27	Tehri Dam	2,400 MW	260 m	Bhagirathi	2006
28	Atatürk Dam	2,400 MW	169 m	Euphrates	1992
29	Iron Gate I Dam	2,192 MW	60 m	Danube	1972
30	Aswan High Dam	2,100 MW	111 m	Nile	1970
31	Hoover Dam	2,080 MW	221 m	Colorado	1936
32	Cahora Bassa Dam	2,075 MW	171 m	Zambezi	1974
33	Grande Dixence Dam	2,069 MW	285 m	Dixence	1965
34	Ahai Dam	2,000 MW	138 m	Jinsha (Yangtze)	2012
35	Lower Subansiri Dam	2,000 MW	116 m	Subansiri	2024
36	Koyna Dam	1,960 MW	103 m	Koyna	1964
37	Kariba Dam	1,830 MW	128 m	Zambezi	1959
38	Xiaolangdi Dam	1,800 MW	154 m	Yellow River	2001
39	Srisailam Dam	1,670 MW	145 m	Krishna	1980
40	DneproGES (Dnipro HPP)	1,569 MW	60 m	Dnieper	1932
41	Mangla Dam	1,500 MW	147 m	Jhelum	1967
42	Sardar Sarovar Dam	1,450 MW	163 m	Narmada	2017
43	Bhakra Dam	1,325 MW	226 m	Sutlej	1963
44	Glen Canyon Dam	1,320 MW	216 m	Colorado	1966
45	Merowe Dam	1,250 MW	67 m	Nile	2009
46	Bonneville Dam	1,242 MW	60 m	Columbia	1937
47	Ilısu Dam	1,200 MW	135 m	Tigris	2020
48	Mosul Dam (Saddam Dam)	1,052 MW	113 m	Tigris	1986
49	Linganamakki Dam	1,035 MW	55.35 m	Sharavathi	1964
50	Akosombo Dam	1,020 MW	114 m	Volta	1965

Rankings cover entities indexed in YearMaps and are derived from open geospatial data. See data sources.

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