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The dams ranked here use official installed hydroelectric capacity, and reservoir volume or unfinished projects are labelled rather than mixed in. Rank is by official installed hydroelectric capacity of a completed named dam or power station, and reservoir volume, annual generation, or unfinished projects are labelled rather than mixed into the same official product [1][2][3]. Three Gorges is first, at the standard official installed capacity of 22,500 megawatts; Itaipu's official frequently asked questions record the Chinese plant at 22,400 megawatts, a labelled official rounding or unit-count that does not change first place [1][2]. Baihetan is second, at the official 16,000 megawatts [1]. Itaipu is third, at the official 14,000 megawatts, or 14 gigawatts, from 20 generating units of 700 megawatts each [2]. Xiluodu is fourth, at the official 13,860 megawatts [1]. Belo Monte is fifth, at the official 11,233 megawatts [3].
Later names remain in the same official installed-capacity class. Guri, or the Simón BolÃvar Hydroelectric Plant, is sixth, at 10,235 megawatts [4]. Wudongde is seventh, at the official 10,200 megawatts [1]. Tucuruà is eighth, at 8,370 megawatts [4]. Xiangjiaba is ninth, at the official 7,750 megawatts recorded by the Ministry of Water Resources; later compiled figures of 7,798 or 6,400 megawatts are different products and are not used as silent replacements [5]. Grand Coulee is tenth, at 6,809 megawatts [4]. Longtan, at 6,426 megawatts, sits just outside. A compiled 10,000-megawatt figure sometimes attached to Indirasagar is a different and unreliable product and is not used here; Indirasagar is not a silent sixth-place cell. Unfinished projects, including a planned Medog station, are excluded. An existing Finepedia article ranks large dams by reservoir capacity, with Kariba first; this ten is a different official product, installed hydroelectric capacity, and the two measures must not be mixed. A station that leads in annual generation, or a reservoir that leads in stored volume, does not overtake a higher official megawatt nameplate in silence. Unfinished or suspended projects, including a planned Medog station with a much larger intended capacity, are excluded because they are not completed official nameplates. This article does not copy official crests, flags, or exact dam facades as decorative art.
Key Facts
The ten below are the labelled official installed-capacity leaders: Three Gorges, 22,500 megawatts; Baihetan, 16,000 megawatts; Itaipu, 14,000 megawatts; Xiluodu, 13,860 megawatts; Belo Monte, 11,233 megawatts; Guri, 10,235 megawatts; Wudongde, 10,200 megawatts; TucuruÃ, 8,370 megawatts; Xiangjiaba, 7,750 megawatts; and Grand Coulee, 6,809 megawatts [1][2][3][4][5]. Rank 1 is the outstanding official installed-capacity total, which stands well above every later named dam. The Itaipu wording of 22,400 megawatts for Three Gorges, the compiled 11,223-megawatt alternative for Belo Monte, and the compiled 7,798 or 6,400-megawatt alternatives for Xiangjiaba are all labelled and are not used to invent a different unofficial order.
The table is the official spine: official installed capacity first, reservoir volume and unfinished projects labelled, and no silent substitution of a later unofficial megawatt figure.
Largest Hydroelectric Dams by Capacity at a Glance
| Rank | Dam or station | Official installed capacity | 2026 note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Three Gorges | 22,500 megawatts | Standard official nameplate; Itaipu records 22,400 megawatts for the same plant, labelled, not used to change first place |
| 2 | Baihetan | 16,000 megawatts | Official completed capacity |
| 3 | Itaipu | 14,000 megawatts | Official Itaipu figure, 20 units of 700 megawatts |
| 4 | Xiluodu | 13,860 megawatts | Official completed capacity |
| 5 | Belo Monte | 11,233 megawatts | Official completed capacity |
| 6 | Guri | 10,235 megawatts | Official completed capacity |
| 7 | Wudongde | 10,200 megawatts | Official completed capacity |
| 8 | Tucuruà | 8,370 megawatts | Official completed capacity |
| 9 | Xiangjiaba | 7,750 megawatts | Official Ministry of Water Resources figure; compiled 7,798 or 6,400 megawatt totals are not used as replacements |
| 10 | Grand Coulee | 6,809 megawatts | Official completed capacity; Longtan, at 6,426 megawatts, sits just outside |
1. Three Gorges
Three Gorges is first, at the standard official installed capacity of 22,500 megawatts [1][2]. Itaipu's official frequently asked questions record the Chinese plant at 22,400 megawatts; that official wording is labelled and does not change first place [2]. The figure is installed hydroelectric capacity, not reservoir volume, and not annual generation, a product in which Itaipu has often led. This article records the official 22,500-megawatt nameplate, not a reservoir-volume or annual-generation substitute. It stands well above Baihetan's official 16,000 megawatts in this installed-capacity class.
It is first as the outstanding official installed-capacity total, a labelled fact, and the documentary centre of this ten [1][2]. A later official nameplate revision will belong in a revision of the cell.
Official China Three Gorges and Itaipu capacity statements are the sources [1][2].
2. Baihetan
Baihetan is second, at the official 16,000 megawatts [1]. The figure is official installed capacity of the completed station, not a later unofficial estimate, and not a silent combination with Xiluodu or with any later Jinsha River neighbour. This article records the official 16,000-megawatt figure. It stands above Itaipu's official 14,000 megawatts.
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It is second as the outstanding official 16,000-megawatt total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Itaipu [1]. A later official revision will belong in a revision of the cell.
Official China Three Gorges capacity statements are the source [1].
3. Itaipu
Itaipu is third, at the official 14,000 megawatts, or 14 gigawatts, from 20 generating units of 700 megawatts each [2]. The official Itaipu frequently asked questions also record that the plant has produced more than 2.9 million gigawatt-hours since it entered operation, and that it supplied about 8.6 percent of the electricity consumed in Brazil and 86.3 percent of Paraguayan consumption in the official comparison given there; those official generation and supply facts are labelled and are not used as the ranking unit [2]. This article records the official 14,000-megawatt figure. It stands just above Xiluodu's official 13,860 megawatts.
It is third as the outstanding official 14,000-megawatt total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Xiluodu [2]. A later official revision will belong in a revision of the cell.
The official Itaipu frequently asked questions are the source [2].
4. Xiluodu
Xiluodu is fourth, at the official 13,860 megawatts [1]. The figure is official installed capacity of the completed station, not a later unofficial estimate, and not a silent combination with Baihetan or Xiangjiaba. This article records the official 13,860-megawatt figure. It stands above Belo Monte's official 11,233 megawatts.
It is fourth as the outstanding official 13,860-megawatt total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Belo Monte [1]. A later official revision will belong in a revision of the cell.
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Official China Three Gorges capacity statements are the source [1].
5. Belo Monte
Belo Monte is fifth, at the official 11,233 megawatts [3]. A later compiled 11,223-megawatt figure is a different product and is not used as a silent replacement [3][4]. This article records the official 11,233-megawatt figure. It stands above Guri at 10,235 megawatts.
It is fifth as the outstanding official 11,233-megawatt total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Guri [3]. A later official revision will belong in a revision of the cell.
Official Brazilian installed-capacity statements are the source [3].
6. Guri
Guri, or the Simón BolÃvar Hydroelectric Plant, is sixth, at 10,235 megawatts [4]. The figure is official installed capacity of the completed station, not a later unofficial estimate. This article records the 10,235-megawatt figure. It stands just above Wudongde's official 10,200 megawatts.
It is sixth as the outstanding official 10,235-megawatt total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Wudongde [4]. A later official revision will belong in a revision of the cell.
Dated official and standard installed-capacity sources are the source [4].
7. Wudongde
Wudongde is seventh, at the official 10,200 megawatts [1]. The figure is official installed capacity of the completed station, not a later unofficial estimate, and not a silent combination with Baihetan or Xiluodu. This article records the official 10,200-megawatt figure. It stands above Tucuruà at 8,370 megawatts.
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It is seventh as the outstanding official 10,200-megawatt total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Tucuruà [1]. A later official revision will belong in a revision of the cell.
Official China Three Gorges and Ministry of Water Resources capacity statements are the source [1].
8. TucuruÃ
Tucuruà is eighth, at 8,370 megawatts [4]. The figure is official installed capacity of the completed station, not a later unofficial estimate. This article records the 8,370-megawatt figure. It stands above Xiangjiaba's official 7,750 megawatts.
It is eighth as the outstanding official 8,370-megawatt total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Xiangjiaba [4]. A later official revision will belong in a revision of the cell.
Dated official and standard installed-capacity sources are the source [4].
9. Xiangjiaba
Xiangjiaba is ninth, at the official 7,750 megawatts recorded by the Ministry of Water Resources [5]. Later compiled figures of 7,798 or 6,400 megawatts are different products and are not used here as silent replacements [4][5]. This article records the official 7,750-megawatt figure. It stands above Grand Coulee at 6,809 megawatts.
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It is ninth as the outstanding official 7,750-megawatt total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Grand Coulee [5]. A later official revision will belong in a revision of the cell.
The official Ministry of Water Resources figure is the source [5].
10. Grand Coulee
Grand Coulee is tenth, at 6,809 megawatts [4]. Longtan, at 6,426 megawatts, sits just outside this ten [4]. This article records the 6,809-megawatt figure as the last named dam in the ranking.
It is tenth as the outstanding official 6,809-megawatt total, a labelled fact, and a necessary counterpart to Xiangjiaba [4]. A later official revision, or a later official reported total that belongs above 6,809 megawatts, will belong in a revision of the ten.
Dated official and standard installed-capacity sources are the source [4].
Conclusion
A 2026 largest-hydroelectric-dams list has to keep Three Gorges at the official 22,500-megawatt nameplate, keep Itaipu at the official 14,000 megawatts, and refuse to treat reservoir volume, annual generation, or an unfinished project as a silent official cell [1][2]. Baihetan, Xiluodu, Belo Monte, Guri, Wudongde, TucuruÃ, Xiangjiaba, and Grand Coulee complete a named ten in which official installed capacities are stated in the open [1][3][4][5]. The useful habit is a dated official megawatt total, a labelled measure, and a refusal to mix a reservoir-capacity ranking, already used in a separate Finepedia article, into a current installed-capacity cell. Official generation records remain valuable facts, but they are a different official product and they do not change the installed-capacity order used here.
A later official nameplate revision will belong in a revision of a cell; it will not change the method. Those labelled official totals are the spine of the list, and they will still be the spine after a later official report has restated an installed-capacity figure. A later official revision that raised Grand Coulee, Xiangjiaba, or another completed station above a later neighbour would move only the affected cells, and it would still leave unfinished intended capacities outside the present official ten.
- ^ [1] Official China Three Gorges Corporation capacity statements for completed Jinsha and Yangtze cascade stations used here: Three Gorges, 22,500 megawatts standard official nameplate; Baihetan, 16,000 megawatts; Xiluodu, 13,860 megawatts; Wudongde, 10,200 megawatts. China Three Gorges Corporation, hydropower
- ^ [2] Itaipu Binacional official frequently asked questions: installed capacity 14 gigawatts, 20 units of 700 megawatts; the same page records Three Gorges at 22,400 megawatts, a labelled official wording that does not change first place. Itaipu, Perguntas Frequentes
- ^ [3] Official Brazilian installed-capacity statements for Belo Monte, 11,233 megawatts. Ministério de Minas e Energia
- ^ [4] Dated official and standard installed-capacity sources for Guri, 10,235 megawatts; TucuruÃ, 8,370 megawatts; Grand Coulee, 6,809 megawatts; Longtan, 6,426 megawatts, just outside the ten. List of largest hydroelectric power stations
- ^ [5] Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China official figure for Xiangjiaba Hydropower Station, 7,750 megawatts. Ministry of Water Resources
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