List of conventional hydroelectric power stations

This article lists hydroelectric power stations that generate power using the conventional dammed method. This list includes power stations that are larger than 1,000 MW in maximum net capacity, and are operational or under construction. Those power stations that are smaller than 1,000 MW, or those that are only at a planning/proposal stage may be found in regional lists, listed at the end of the page.

As of 2016, the largest hydroelectric power station is the Three Gorges Dam in China, rated at 22,500 MW in total installed capacity. After passing on 7 December 2007 the 14,000 MW mark of the Itaipu Dam, the facility was ranked as the largest power-generating facility ever built. The dam is 181 m (594 ft) high, 2,335 m (7,661 ft) long and 115 m (377 ft) in width. Power is generated by 32 turbines rated at 700 MW, and two turbines rated 50 MW, which are used to power the facility itself. Construction of this dam commenced in 1994, and was completed in 2012, nearly two decades after it started.

The next five largest dams after the Three Gorges Dam are the Itaipu Dam, Xiluodu Dam, Belo Monte Dam, Guri Dam and the Tucurui Dam, rated at 14,000 MW, 13,860 MW, 11,233 MW, 10,235 MW and 8,370 MW respectively. All six dams are the largest power-generating bodies respectively, before the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant at 8,212 MW, the largest non-renewable energy-generating facility in the world. The currently planned Grand Inga Dam would be nearly twice the size of the Three Gorges Dam at 39,000 MW, surpassing all power-generating facilities once it passes the current-highest 22,500 MW mark.