Asia and Oceania

China’s Three Gorges sets new bar for annual hydroelectric power production

China’s 22,500-MW Three Gorges project has again broken the world record for annual hydroelectric power production, besting a mark set in 2013 by Brazil’s Itaipu.
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China’s 22,500-MW Three Gorges project has again broken the world record for annual hydroelectric power production, besting a mark set in 2013 by Brazil’s Itaipu.

The plant — located on the Yangtze River — generated 98.8 billion TWh through the end of 2014.

China Three Gorges Corporation said the hydropower project’s output is roughly equivalent to burning 29 million metric tons of coal, eliminating 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Three Gorges and Itaipu have traded the record for annual production several times in recent years, with Three Gorges establishing a record high 98.1 TWh in 2012. Itaipu then broke Three Gorges’ record with 98.63 TWh of production in 2013.

Three Gorges is currently the world’s largest hydropower plant. Itaipu trails in second with a cumulative output capacity of 14,000 MW.