# Water Energy — The Complete Guide
## The Energy Codex · thecodex.expert/energy/water/
**Last verified:** April 2026 | **Session:** 8 (2026-04-27)

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## Key Facts
| Metric | Value | Source |
|--------|-------|--------|
| Global hydro capacity | 1,392 GW | IRENA 2024 |
| Annual hydro generation | ~4,300 TWh | IEA 2024 |
| Share of global electricity | ~16% | IEA 2024 |
| Lifecycle carbon | 24 g CO₂/kWh | IPCC AR6 |
| Large hydro LCOE | $25–90/MWh | Lazard 2024 |
| World's largest dam | Three Gorges, 22,500 MW | China Three Gorges Corp |
| World's largest PSP | Bath County USA, 3,003 MW | Dominion Energy |

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## 15 Major Hydropower Installations (GPS from GEM Hydro Tracker CC BY 4.0)
| # | Name | Country | GPS | MW | Type |
|---|------|---------|-----|----|------|
| 1 | Three Gorges | China | 30.82°N 111.00°E | 22,500 | Reservoir |
| 2 | Itaipu | Brazil/Paraguay | 25.41°S 54.59°W | 14,000 | Reservoir |
| 3 | Xiluodu | China | 28.25°N 103.64°E | 13,860 | Reservoir |
| 4 | Belo Monte | Brazil | 3.11°S 51.78°W | 11,233 | Run-of-river |
| 5 | Guri | Venezuela | 7.76°N 62.99°W | 10,235 | Reservoir |
| 6 | Tucuruí | Brazil | 3.83°S 49.62°W | 8,370 | Reservoir |
| 7 | Grand Coulee | USA | 47.96°N 118.98°W | 6,809 | Reservoir |
| 8 | Xiangjiaba | China | 28.64°N 104.37°E | 6,448 | Reservoir |
| 9 | Longtan | China | 25.02°N 107.05°E | 6,426 | Reservoir |
| 10 | Krasnoyarsk | Russia | 55.99°N 92.26°E | 6,000 | Reservoir |
| 11 | Robert-Bourassa | Canada | 53.78°N 77.13°W | 5,616 | Reservoir |
| 12 | Tehri | India | 30.38°N 78.48°E | 1,000+PSP | Reservoir+Pumped |
| 13 | Bath County | USA | 38.18°N 79.80°W | 3,003 | Pumped storage |
| 14 | La Rance | France | 48.62°N 2.02°W | 240 | Tidal barrage |
| 15 | MeyGen | UK | 58.58°N 3.22°W | 6 | Tidal stream |

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## India
Installed hydro: ~47 GW (March 2024) — 5th globally
Identified potential: ~145 GW economically exploitable (CEA)
Utilised: ~32% of potential
Major projects: Koyna 1960MW · Sardar Sarovar 1450MW · Bhakra Nangal 1325MW · Tehri 1000MW
Under construction: Subansiri Lower 2000MW (NHPC, Assam/Arunachal)
Pumped storage target: 18.8 GW by 2031–32 (CEA National Electricity Plan 2023)
Source: CEA India 2024 · NHPC India

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## Sources
IRENA 2024 · IEA 2024 · GEM Hydro Tracker (CC BY 4.0) · WRI GPPD (CC BY 4.0) · Lazard LCOE 2024 · IPCC AR6 · IHA 2024 · CEA India · NHPC India · China Three Gorges Corp · Itaipu Binacional · EMEC · ANEEL Brazil

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*The Energy Codex · thecodex.expert/energy/water/ · Last verified April 2026*