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Sanmenxia Dam

Shanxi, China

The 1581st largest power station in the world

400 MW · Capacity

The Sanmenxia Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the middle-reaches of the Yellow River near Sanmenxia Gorge on the border between Shanxi province and Henan Province, China. The dam is multi-purpose and was constructed for flood and ice control along with irrigation, hydroelectric power generation and navigation. Construction began in 1957 and was completed in 1960. It is the first major water control project on the Yellow River and was viewed as a major achievement of the new People's Republic of China. Subsequently, its image was printed on the country's bank notes. However, due to sediment accumulation in the reservoir, the dam later had to be re-engineered and renovated. The effects from sediment, which include flooding upstream, have placed the dam at the center of controversy and criticism-related arrests by the Chinese government.

Power station data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

More power stations in China

  1. Three Gorges Dam22.5 GW
  2. Baihetan Dam16 GW
  3. Xiluodu Dam13.86 GW
  4. Wudongde Hydropower Station10.2 GW
  5. Gansu Wind Farm7.97 GW

Other large power stations worldwide

  1. Bui Dam · Ghana1,440 GW
  2. Western Green Energy Hub · Australia50 GW
  3. Gujarat Hybrid Renewable Energy Park · India30 GW
  4. Three Gorges Dam · China22.5 GW
  5. Baihetan Dam · China16 GW
  6. Itaipu Dam · Paraguay14 GW
  7. Xiluodu Dam · China13.86 GW
  8. Belo Monte Dam · Brazil11 GW