10 largest dams around the world you didn't know about

China has given the green light for the construction of the world’s largest dam, set to be the most significant infrastructure project on the planet. The dam will be built on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, near the Indian border, sparking concerns in neighboring riparian states, India and Bangladesh. The China Morning Post reported on Thursday, that the total cost of the project will exceed one trillion yuan ($137 billion), which is more than any other single infrastructure project on the planet including China’s own Three Gorges Dam, regarded as the largest in the world. As the new dam will become the largest dam in the world, let us look at the dams that are amongst the largest in the world.

As mentioned earlier, the Three Gorges Dam is the dam in the world. Stretching 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) in length and soaring to a height of 185 meters (607 feet), the dam’s reservoir is capable of holding an immense 39.3 cubic kilometers (9.43 cubic miles) of water. The structure is so huge that it took about 17 years to build it.

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Situated on the Paraná River, shared between Brazil and Paraguay, the dam was completed in 1987. Itaipu Dam is one of the world’s largest dams by volume, spans 7,919 meters in length and rises 196 meters high. Its expansive reservoir covers around 1,350 square kilometers and holds an impressive 29.3 cubic kilometers of water. With a maximum power generation capacity of 14 GW, Itaipu plays a crucial role in providing electricity to both Brazil and Paraguay.

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Located near the town of Xiluodu in Yongshan County, Yunnan Province, the Xiluodu Dam is an arch dam on the Jinsha River, extending into Leibo County in Sichuan Province across the river. Playing a key role in China’s renewable energy production, the dam stands at an impressive height of 278 meters (912 feet) and stretches 700 meters (2,297 feet) across its crest, making it one of the tallest and longest dams in the world. The capacity of the reservoir is 12.67 billion cubic meters.
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Guri Dam was constructed on the Caroní River and took more than 13 years to complete. Its crest length goes to about 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) and produces an annual energy production of approximately 47,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh).
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It is located in the Tocantins River/basin in Para, Brazil. Construction of the project began in 1975, and it officially started commercial operations in 1984. Tucuruí Dam stretches a length reaching 12,327 feet (3,758 meters) and a height of 292 feet (89 meters).
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Grand Coulee Dam is one of the oldest dams which is located in Washington State, United States. The dam’s powerhouse is equipped with 33 generating units, collectively able to produce more than 6,800 megawatts of electricity, positioning it among the world’s most efficient hydroelectric power plants.

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Longtan Dam is situated on the Hongshui River in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It has a capacity of 27.3 billion cubic meters, making it one of the largest in the world. The dam was completed in 8 years, which is pretty fast in comparison to others.
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Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam was completed in 1978 and the structure spans the Yenisei River in the Siberian region. It is one of the tallest dams, towering 242 meters (794 feet). However, due to a turbine malfunction, there were multiple casualties and extensive damage.
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The Krasnoyarsk Dam is a 124-metre (407 ft) high concrete gravity dam located on the Yenisei River. It stretches 1,065 meters and has a height of 124 meters. Credit: iStock

The hydroelectric dam, completed in 1981, spans the La Grande River in northern Quebec and creates the expansive Robert Bourassa Reservoir, which is also known as the La Grande-2-A Reservoir.

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