The world’s 25 biggest power plants

Image: A rotor of a generator is installed at the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, Hubei province.

The United States, China and Japan are the world’s largest producers of electricity. India has the fifth largest electricity-generation capacity in the world. It has an installed capacity of over 152 gigawatts (1 gigawatt is equal to 1 billion watts).

Here’s a look at the world’s biggest power plants . . .

1. Three Gorges Dam (China)
Capacity: 18,460 MW

The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest hydropower project.

Built on the Yangtze River in China, its construction began in 1994 and it will be fully operational this year. It is expected to produce as much as 22.5 gigawatts (GW) of power. In August 2009, the plant produced 18.3 GW, more than any other power plant in the world. The Three Gorges Dam is still under construction.

2. Itaipu power plant (Brazil)
Capacity: 14,750 MW

The second largest hydroelectric power plant on the Brazil-Paraguay border currently has over 20 generator units.

3. Simon Bolivar (Venezuela)
Capacity: 10,055 MW

Venezuela meets 82 per cent of its electricity needs from the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Power Station.

4. Tucurui (Brazil)
Capacity: 8,370 MW

Tucurui is the third largest power generator in Brazil, representing 10 per cent of Brazil’s installed capacity.

5. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa (Japan)
Capacity: 8,206 MW

Owned and operated by The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the largest nuclear generating station in the world by net electrical power rating.

6. Bruce Power (Canada)
Capacity: 6,830 MW

Bruce Power is Canada’s first private nuclear generator.

7. Sayanao-Shushenskaya Dam (Russia)
Capacity: 6,500 MW

Located on the Yenisei River in Russia, it is the largest power plant in Russia and the sixth-largest hydroelectric plant in the world.

8. Grand Coulee (United States)
Capacity: 6,495 MW

Grand Coulee is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in Washington. It is the largest electric power-producing facility in the United States and one of the largest concrete structures in the world.

9. Longtan (China)
Capacity: 6,426 MW

Longtan Dam is a large roller-compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam on the Hongshui River in China.

10. Krasnoyarsk (Russia)
Capacity: 6,000 MW

The Krasnoyarsk Dam is a 124-metre (407 ft) high concrete gravity dam located on the Yenisey River in Divnogorsk, Russia.

11. Zaporizhzhya (Ukraine)
Capacity: 6,000 MW

The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant on the bank of Kakhovsky reservoir is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

12. Poryong (Republic of Korea)
Capacity: 5,954 MW

The Poryong plant is operated by Korea Electric Power company. The world’s sixth largest nuclear power producer, Korea operates 21 nuclear power plants commercially.

13. Ulchin (Republic of Korea)
Capacity: 5,900 MW

Ulchin is one among the 21 nuclear generating stations in Korea.

14. Yonggwang (Republic of Korea)
Capacity: 5,900 MW

The Yonggwang plant, one of the largest nuclear plants in Korea, has been operating six reactors since 1978.

15. Taichung Power plant (Taiwan)
Capacity: 5,834 MW

The Taichung Power Plant is the largest coal-fired power station in the world.

16. Gravelines (France)
Capacity: 5,706 MW

The Gravelines Nuclear Power Station is the fifth largest nuclear power station in the world.

17. Futtsu (Japan)

Capacity: 5,598 MW

The Futtsu Power Station is the second largest gas-fired power station in the world. The facility is owned by Tepco.

18. Paluel (France)
Capacity: 5,528 MW

Operated by EDF, the nuclear power station consists of four 1330 MWe class pressurised water reactors.

19. Cattenom Nuclear Power Station (France)
Capacity: 5,448 MW

The Cattenom Nuclear Power Station located in Lorraine is close to the city of Luxembourg.

20. Churchill Falls (Canada)
Capacity: 5,429 MW

It is a hydroelectric power station located on the Churchill river.

21. Bourassa (Canada)
Capacity: 5,328 MW

The Robert-Bourassa generating station (formerly known as La Grande-2) is a hydroelectric power station on the La Grande River. It is Canada’s largest hydroelectric power station.

22. Waigaoqiao (China)
Capacity: 5,160 MW

The Waigaoqiao Power Station in Shanghai, is the second largest coal power station in the world, and the largest thermal power station in China.

23. Beilun (China)
Capacity: 5,000 MW

The Guodian Beilun Power Station is the largest thermal power station in China, with an installed capacity of 5,000 MW.

24. Kawagoe (Japan)
Capacity: 4,802 MW

Kawagoe Power Station is a large gas-fired power station in Kawagoe. The facility operates at an installed capacity of 4,802 MW, making it the largest power station of its kind.

25. Surgut (Russia)
Capacity: 4,800 MW

The Surgut-2 Power Station is the largest oil-fired power station in the world with an installed capacity of 5,200 MW in 2011. Surgut-1 Power Station is the third largest oil-fired power station in the world.

Source : Rediff