List of largest power stations in the wor

The following page lists five of the largest power stations in the world of each type, in terms of current installed electrical capacity. Non-renewable power stations are those that run on coal, fuel oils and natural gas, while renewable power stations run on fuel sources such as biomass, geothermal heat, hydro, solar energy, solar heat, tides, waves and the wind. Only the most significant fuel source are listed for power stations that run on multiple sources.

At present, the largest power generating facility ever built is the Three Gorges Dam in China. The facility generates power by utilizing 26 turbines, with 8 more units (6 × 700 MW, 2 × 50 MW) under construction. Each of the current operational units has a capacity of 700 MW,totalling the installed capacity to 18,200 MW, more than twice the installed capacity of the largest nuclear power station, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa at 8,212 MW. Upon full completion of the Three Gorges Dam in 2011, the total installed capacity would top 22,500 MW, just 5,500 MW less than being twice the capacity of the second largest power generating facility, the Itaipu Dam, at 14,000 MW.

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Although currently only a proposal, the Grand Inga Dam in Congo would surpass all existing power stations, including the Three Gorges Dam, if construction commences as planned in 2014. The design targets to top 39,000 MW in installed capacity, nearly twice that of the Three Gorges. At the time of the dam's initial proposal, this was sufficient to meet the entire power demand of the African continent.

Top 10 largest power producing facilities

Three Gorges, currently the largest hydroelectric power station, and the

 largest power producing body ever built, at 18,200 MW.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Fuel type Ref

1 Three Gorges Dam China 30°49′15″N 111°00′08″E 18,200 Hydroelectricity

2 Itaipu Dam Brazil

Paraguay 25°24′31″S 54°35′21″W 14,000 Hydroelectricity

3 Guri Dam Venezuela 07°45′59″N 62°59′57″W 10,200 Hydroelectricity 

4 Tucurui Dam Brazil 03°49′53″S 49°38′36″W 8,370 Hydroelectricity 

5 Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Japan 37°25′45″N 138°35′43″E 8,212 Nuclear 

6 Bruce Nuclear Generating Station Canada 44°19′31″N 81°35′58″W 7,276 Nuclear

7 Grand Coulee Dam United States 47°57′23″N 118°58′56″W 6,809 Hydroelectricity

8 Longtan Dam China 25°01′38″N 107°02′51″E 6,426 Hydroelectricity 

9A Krasnoyarsk Dam Russia 55°56′05″N 92°17′37″E 6,000 Hydroelectricity

9A Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Ukraine 47°30′44″N 34°35′09″E 6,000 Nuclear 

Non-renewable power stations

Coal

Bełchatów, the fifth largest coal-fired power station at 4,440 MWe.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Taichung Power Plant Taiwan 24°12′46″N 120°28′52″E 5,780 

2 Tuoketuo Power Station China 40°11′49″N 111°21′52″E 5,400 

3B Guodian Beilun Power Station China 29°56′37″N 121°48′57″E 5,000

3B Waigaoqiao Power Station China 31°21′21″N 121°35′54″E 5,000 

5 Bełchatów Power Station Poland 51°15′59″N 19°19′50″E 4,440 

Fuel oil

Surgut-2, the largest oil-fired power station at 4,800 MWe.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Surgut-2 Power Station Russia 61°16′46″N 73°30′45″E 4,800 

2 Kashima Power Station Japan 35°52′47″N 140°41′22″E 4,400

3 Surgut-1 Power Station Russia 61°16′46″N 73°29′20″E 3,280

4 Hirono Power Station Japan 37°14′18″N 141°01′04″E 3,200 

5 Ryazan Power Station Russia 54°02′00″N 39°47′30″E 2,800

Natural gas

Futtsu, the fifth largest natural gas power station at 3,520 MWe.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Kawagoe Power Station Japan 35°00′25″N 136°41′20″E 4,802

2 Chita Power Station Japan 34°59′12″N 136°50′37″E 3,966 

3C Kostromskaya Power Station Russia 57°27′34″N 41°10′30″E 3,600 

3C Sodegaura Power Station Japan 35°27′45″N 139°58′37″E 3,600 

5 Futtsu Power Station Japan 35°20′35″N 139°50′02″E 3,520 

Nuclear

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the largest nuclear power station at 8,212 MWe.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Japan 37°25′45″N 138°35′43″E 8,212 

2 Bruce Nuclear Generating Station Canada 44°19′31″N 81°35′58″W 7,276

3 Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Ukraine 47°30′44″N 34°35′09″E 6,000

4 Uljin Nuclear Power Plant South Korea 37°05′34″N 129°23′01″E 5,881 

5 Yeonggwang Nuclear Power Station South Korea 35°24′54″N 126°25′26″E 5,875

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Oil shale

Eesti Power Station, the largest oil shale-fired power station at 1,615 MW.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Eesti Power Station Estonia 59°16′10″N 27°54′08″E 1,615

2 Balti Power Station Estonia 59°21′12″N 28°07′22″E 765

3 Huadian Oil Shale Plant China 100

4 Mishor Rotem Power Station Israel 31°03′19″N 35°11′04″E 13

5 Dotternhausen Rohrbach Zement Factory Germany 9.9 

Peat

Shatura, largest peat-fired power station at 1,020 MW.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Shatura Power Station Russia 55°35′00″N 39°33′40″E 1,020

2 Kirov Power Station Russia 58°37′16″N 49°35′47″E 300

3 Keljonlahti Power Station Finland 62°11′33″N 25°44′14″E 209 

4 Toppila Power Station Finland 65°02′13″N 25°29′17″E 190 

5 Haapavesi Power Station Finland 64°07′19″N 25°24′47″E 154

Renewable power stations

Biofuel

Alholmens Kraft, the largest biofuel power station at 265 MWe.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Alholmens Kraft Power Station Finland 63°42′07″N 22°42′35″E 265 

2 Kaukaan Voima Power Station Finland 61°04′00″N 28°14′40″E 125 

3 Rumford Cogen Power Station United States 44°33′07″N 70°32′34″W 102 

4 Igelsta Power Station Sweden 85

5 Multitrade Power Station United States 80 

Geothermal

Wairakei, the fourh largest geothermal power station at 181 MWe.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station Mexico 32°23′57″N 115°14′19″W 720

2 Hellisheidi Power Station Iceland 64°02′14″N 21°24′03″W 300

3 Wayang Windu Geothermal Power Station Indonesia 07°12′00″S 107°37′30″E 227

4 Wairakei Power Station New Zealand 38°37′37″S 176°06′19″E 181

5 Reykjanes Power Station Iceland 63°49′35″N 22°40′55″W 150 

Hydroelectric

Conventional

Three Gorges, currently the largest hydroelectric power station, and the

 largest power producing body ever built, at 18,200 MW.

Read More: Hydroelectricity and List of conventional hydroelectric power stations

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Three Gorges Dam China 30°49′15″N 111°00′08″E 18,200

2 Itaipu Dam Brazil

Paraguay 25°24′31″S 54°35′21″W 14,000

3 Guri Dam Venezuela 07°45′59″N 62°59′57″W 10,200

4 Tucurui Dam Brazil 03°49′53″S 49°38′36″W 8,370

5 Grand Coulee Dam United States 47°57′23″N 118°58′56″W 6,809 

Pumped-storage

Grande Dixence, the third largest pumped-storage hydroelectric power station at 2,069 MW.

Read More: Pumped-storage hydroelectricity and List of pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Bath County Pumped Storage Station United States 38°12′32″N 79°48′00″W 2,772 

2 Guangdong Pumped Storage Power Station China 23°45′52″N 113°57′12″E 2,400 

3 Grande Dixence Dam (Cleuson-Dixence Complex) Switzerland 46°04′50″N 07°24′14″E 2,069 

4 Okutataragi Hydroelectric Power Station Japan 35°14′13″N 134°49′55″E 1,932 

5 Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant United States 43°53′37″N 86°26′43″W 1,872 

Run-of-the-river

Chief Joseph, the largest run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station at2,620 MW.

Read More: Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity and List of run-of-the-river hydroelectric power stations

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Chief Joseph Dam United States 47°59′43″N 119°38′00″W 2,620

2 John Day Dam United States 45°52′49″N 120°41′40″W 2,160

3 Beauharnois Hydroelectric Power Station Canada 45°18′50″N 73°54′32″W 1,903 

4 The Dalles Dam United States 45°36′44″N 121°08′04″W 1,779 

5 Ghazi Barotha Dam Pakistan 03°46′48″N 72°15′35″E 1,450 

Tide

Rance, the largest tidal power station at 240 MW.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Rance Tidal Power Station France 48°37′05″N 02°01′24″W 240

2 Annapolis Royal Generating Station Canada 44°45′07″N 65°30′40″W 20

3 Jiangxia Tidal Power Station China 28°20′34″N 121°14′25″E 3.9

4 Kislaya Guba Tidal Power Station Russia 69°22′37″N 33°04′34″E 1.7 

5 Uldolmok Tidal Power Station South Korea 34°32′07″N 126°14′06″E 1.0 

Solar power

Flat-panel photovoltaic

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Finsterwalde Solar Park Germany 51°34′7″N 13°44′15″E 80.7 

2 Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant Canada 42°56′16″N 82°20′30″W 80 

3 Rovigo Photovoltaic Power Plant Italy 70 

4 Olmedilla Photovoltaic Park Spain 39°37′43″N 02°04′37″W 60 

5 Strasskirchen Solar Park Germany 48°48′58″N 12°43′53″E 54 

Concentrated photovoltaic

Sevilla, the second largest CPV power station at 1.2 MW.

This section requires expansion.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MWe) Ref

1 Casaquemada Photovoltaic Power Plant Spain 1.9

2 Sevilla Photovoltaic Power Plant Spain 37°25′18″N 06°15′25″W 1.2 

3D Victor Valley College CPV Plant United States 34°28′31″N 117°15′46″W 1

3D Questa Photovoltaic Power Plant United States 36°42′31″N 105°37′09″W 1

Concentrated solar thermal

Solnova, the largest CSP power station at 150 MWe.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Solnova Solar Power Station Spain 37°25′00″N 06°17′20″W 150 

2 Andasol Solar Power Station Spain 37°13′43″N 03°04′07″W 100 

3E SEGS VIII United States 35°01′53″N 117°21′23″W 80 

3E SEGS IX United States 35°01′56″N 117°20′16″W 80 

5 Nevada Solar One United States 35°48′00″N 114°58′06″W 64 

Wave

Aguçadoura, the largest wave farm at 2.25 MW.

This section requires expansion.

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Ref

1 Aguçadoura Wave Farm Portugal 41°25′57″N 08°50′33″W 2.25

2 Islay Limpet Scotland 55°41′24″N 06°31′15″W 0.5 

3 SDE Sea Waves Power Plant Israel 32°05′59″N 34°46′24″E 0.04

Wind

Tehachapi Pass, the third largest wind farm at 705 MW.

Read More: Wind power, List of onshore wind farms, and List of offshore wind farms

Rank Station Country Location Capacity (MW) Type Ref

1 Roscoe Wind Farm United States 32°26′41″N 100°34′23″W 782 Onshore 

2 Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center United States 32°19′00″N 99°59′59″W 736 Onshore 

3 Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm United States 35°06′08″N 118°16′58″W 705 Onshore

4 Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm United States 31°54′08″N 100°53′56″W 663 Onshore 

5 San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm United States 33°55′12″N 118°35′24″W 615 Onshore 

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(source:wikipedia)