China · Dams
Major Dams in China
Jinping-I Dam is the tallest of the 14 dams recorded for China, at 305 m, ahead of Xiaowan Dam at 292 m. The full list follows.
How this list is built: Ranked by structural height. It covers the dams indexed in YearMaps, drawn from open geospatial data, and is not an exhaustive national register.
- Dams Listed
- 14
- Top Ranked
- 305 m
- Second
- 292 m
- With Full Profile
- 14
Jinping-I Dam
Xiaowan Dam
Linked to a detail page
| # | Name | Height | River | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jinping-I Dam | 305 m | Yalong | 3,600 MW | 2013 |
| 2 | Xiaowan Dam | 292 m | Mekong (Lancang) | 4,200 MW | 2010 |
| 3 | Baihetan Dam | 289 m | Jinsha | 16,000 MW | 2021 |
| 4 | Xiluodu Dam | 285.5 m | Jinsha (Yangtze) | 13,860 MW | 2013 |
| 5 | Nuozhadu Dam | 261.5 m | Mekong (Lancang) | 5,850 MW | 2014 |
| 6 | Wudongde Dam | 240 m | Jinsha (Yangtze) | 10,200 MW | 2021 |
| 7 | Goupitan Dam | 232.5 m | Wu River (Yangtze) | 3,000 MW | 2009 |
| 8 | Three Gorges Dam | 181 m | Yangtze | 22,500 MW | 2012 |
| 9 | Xiangjiaba Dam | 162 m | Jinsha (Yangtze) | 6,400 MW | 2012 |
| 10 | Guanyinyan Dam | 159 m | Jinsha (Yangtze) | 3,000 MW | 2014 |
| 11 | Liyuan Dam | 155 m | Jinsha (Yangtze) | 2,420 MW | 2014 |
| 12 | Xiaolangdi Dam | 154 m | Yellow River | 1,800 MW | 2001 |
| 13 | Ahai Dam | 138 m | Jinsha (Yangtze) | 2,000 MW | 2012 |
| 14 | Sanmenxia Dam | 106 m | Yellow River | 400 MW | 1960 |
China's Dams at a Glance
The 14 dams listed here have a combined installed capacity of about 95,230 MW, and Three Gorges Dam is the largest power station among them at 22,500 MW. The Jinsha carries the most, with 7 of them. The oldest, Sanmenxia Dam, was completed in 1960; the newest, Wudongde Dam, in 2021. Each dam is written up in full on the page of the river it stands on.
What Each Dam Is Known For
- Jinping-I Dam · Double-curvature Arch
- Tallest dam in the world (305 meters high), taller than the Eiffel Tower
- Xiaowan Dam · Arch Dam
- World's second-tallest arch dam (292 m), generating clean hydro power from the alpine Upper Mekong.
- Baihetan Dam · Double-curvature Arch
- World's second largest hydropower plant (16,000 MW), with 1,000 MW individual turbine units
- Xiluodu Dam · Double-curvature Arch
- 4th-largest power station on Earth; ultra-tall double-curvature arch dam spanning Jinsha canyon.
- Nuozhadu Dam · Rock-fill Embankment
- Tallest rock-fill embankment dam in China and the largest hydro station on the international Mekong.
- Wudongde Dam · Curved Arch
- One of the world's tallest ultra-thin arch dams; key component of West-to-East Power Transmission.
- Goupitan Dam · Double-curvature Arch
- Features the world's tallest ship lift with three vertical lifts carrying ships across 199 vertical meters.
- Three Gorges Dam · Concrete Gravity
- World's largest power station by installed capacity (22,500 MW); shifted Earth's rotational axis slightly
- Xiangjiaba Dam · Concrete Gravity
- Possesses the world's largest vertical ship lift capable of handling 1,000-ton vessels.
- Guanyinyan Dam · RCC / Gravity
- Hybrid roller-compacted concrete gravity dam on the Upper Yangtze.
- Liyuan Dam · Concrete-face Rock-fill
- Concrete-face rock-fill dam built in the dramatic gorge of the Jinsha river.
- Xiaolangdi Dam · Rock-fill
- Primary flood and sediment regulation project on the Yellow River; conducts annual high-velocity silt flushing.
- Ahai Dam · RCC Gravity
- Roller-compacted concrete dam serving China's West-East power corridor.
- Sanmenxia Dam · Concrete Gravity
- The first major dam erected on the Yellow River, known as the 'First Dam of the Yellow River'.
More on China
Quick Answers
- What is the tallest dam in China?
- Jinping-I Dam, at 305 m. Xiaowan Dam is second at 292 m. Rankings cover the dams indexed in YearMaps.
- How many dams are there in China?
- YearMaps lists 14 dams for China. This is the number mapped in the atlas, not an official national count.