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Friday, June 10, 2011

The world's 25 biggest power plants


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.


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




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.

Itaipu power plant.



3. Simon Bolivar (Venezuela)
Capacity: 10,055 MW
Venezuela meets 82 per cent of its electricity needs from the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Power Station.

View of Guri dam and 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.

A cargo barge enters a lock of the Tucurui dam on the Tocantins River.


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.

A man fishes near Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s (TEPCO) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant.


6. Bruce Power (Canada)
Capacity
: 6,830 MW
Bruce Power is Canada's first private nuclear  generator


Bruce Power plant.


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.

An aerial view of Russia's largest Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station.


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.

Aerial view of the Grand Coulee dam.


9. Longtan (China)
Capacity
: 6,426 MW
Longtan Dam is a large roller-compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam on the Hongshui River in China.


Longtan dam.

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.


Krasnoyarsk dam.


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.

Zaporizhzhya plant.

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.






















Poryong plant.




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

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

Ulchin plant.


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.

Yonggwang plant.

15. Taichung Power plant (Taiwan)
Capacity
: 5,834 MW
The Taichung Power Plant is the largest coal-fired power station in the world.


Taichung Power plant.



16. Gravelines (France)Capacity: 5,706 MW
The Gravelines Nuclear Power Station is the fifth largest nuclear power station in the world


Aerial view showing the six reactors at the Gravelines nuclear power.


 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.


Storage tank for liquefied natural gas at Futtsu Thermal Plant.



18. Paluel (France)
Capacity
: 5,528 MW
Operated by EDF, the nuclear power station consists of four 1330 MWe class pressurised water reactors.



Paluel plant.



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

Cattenom Nuclear Power Station.


20. Churchill Falls (Canada)
Capacity
: 5,429 MW
It is a hydroelectric power station located on the Churchill river.


Site of the Lower Churchill Hydro Project.



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.


Bourassa plant.


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.


A power station staff worker walks past a steam-turbine power generator in the Waigaoqiao.


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.


Guodian Beilun Power Station.

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.


Kawagoe Power Station.


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.

Surgut power station.























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