Limits RegistryPUBLIC RECORD
Limits RegistryBecause annual electricity output depends on river flow and reservoir management as much as on installed capacity, the record for a single year's generation has swapped between Itaipu and Three Gorges: Itaipu, with more consistent year-round river flow despite lower nameplate capacity, held the record from 2016 (103.1 TWh) until unusually heavy Yangtze basin monsoon rains in 2020 pushed Three Gorges's output to roughly 111.8 TWh, an amount comparable to the annual electricity consumption of a mid-sized country.
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Because annual electricity output depends on river flow and reservoir management as much as on installed capacity, the record for a single year's generation has swapped between Itaipu and Three Gorges: Itaipu, with more consistent year-round river flow despite lower nameplate capacity, held the record from 2016 (103.1 TWh) until unusually heavy Yangtze basin monsoon rains in 2020 pushed Three Gorges's output to roughly 111.8 TWh, an amount comparable to the annual electricity consumption of a mid-sized country.
The Three Gorges Dam generated approximately 111.8 TWh of electricity in 2020, the highest annual output ever recorded by a single power station, surpassing the previous record of 103.1 TWh set by the Itaipu Dam (Brazil/Paraguay) in 2016.
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Limits Registry. LR-ANNUAL-HYDRO-GENERATION-RECORD. Highest annual electricity generation by a single power station. 2026.