The Three Gorges station on the Yangtze is the largest hydropower station in the world (22,500 MW), and Baihetan on the Jinsha River is second (16,000 MW). Itaipu on the Brazil-Paraguay border is third (14,000 MW).
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The Three Gorges station on the Yangtze is the largest hydropower station in the world (22,500 MW), and Baihetan on the Jinsha River is second (16,000 MW). Itaipu on the Brazil-Paraguay border is third (14,000 MW).
The figures
| Rank | Station | River | Country | Installed capacity (MW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Three Gorges | Yangtze | China | 22,500 |
| 2 | Baihetan | Jinsha (upper Yangtze) | China | 16,000 |
| 3 | Itaipu | Paraná | Brazil / Paraguay | 14,000 |
| 4 | Xiluodu | Jinsha (upper Yangtze) | China | 13,860 |
Operator figures
| Station | Installed capacity (MW) |
|---|---|
| Wudongde | 10,200 |
| Baihetan | 16,000 |
| Xiluodu | 13,860 |
| Xiangjiaba | 6,400 |
| Three Gorges | 22,500 |
| Gezhouba | 2,735 |
Total: 71,695 MW.
Read before you quote
Ranked by installed capacity, not yearly output. Only the top four are ranked: places five and below (for example Guri in Venezuela and Wudongde in China, about 10,200 MW each) are too close to rank without each operator's own figure, which we could not reach. The six Yangtze stations add up to 71,695 MW; China Yangtze Power gives its domestic total as 71.695 GW.
In China
Checked 24 October 2026
CC BY 4.0
These figures are compiled by PreeChina from the sources above. You may reuse them under the CC BY 4.0 licence: credit "PreeChina" and link to this page. Download the table as CSV.
Suggested citation:
PreeChina, "What Are the Largest Hydropower Stations in the World?", China by the Numbers, https://www.preechina.com/first-time-china/china-by-the-numbers/largest-hydropower-stations/, checked 24 October 2026. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Original data: China Yangtze Power (长江电力); Itaipu Binacional.
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