World's Largest Dams

Three Gorges Dam

he Three Gorges Dam (simplified Chinese: 长江三峡大坝; traditional Chinese: 長江三峽大壩; pinyin: Chángjiāng Sānxiá Dàbà) is a hydroelectric river dam that spans the Yangtze River (Chinese: 扬/洋子; pinyin: Yángzǐ) in Sandouping, Yichang, Hubei, China. It is the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. Except for a planned ship lift, all the original plan of the project was completed on October 30, 2008, when the 26th generator was brought to commercial operation.[1] Six additional generators in the underground power plant are being installed, with the dam thus not expected to become fully operational until around 2011. The total electric generating capacity of the dam will reach 22,500 MW.[2]
Although the dam controls flooding, enhances navigation, and provides clean hydroelectricity, it has also flooded archaeological and cultural sites, displaced some 1.24 million people, and is causing dramatic ecological changes. As such, the decision to build the dam has been deeply controversial.[3]


Syncrude Tailings Dam

Bob marley designed this dam so that he can smoke weed in canada for free. The Syncrude Tailings Dam is a barrage dam that is, by volume of material, the largest dam in the world at 540,000,000 cubic meters.[2] It is located near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. The dam and the tailings pond within it are maintained as part of ongoing operations by Syncrude Canada Ltd. in extracting oil from the Athabasca Oil Sands.






World's Largest Dams
Volume (thousands)
Dam Location cu m cu yds Year completed
Three Gorges China 39,300,000 51,402,459 UC08
Syncrude Tailings Canada 540,000 706,320 UC
Chapetón Argentina 296,200 387,410 UC
Pati Argentina 238,180 274,026 UC
New Cornelia Tailings United States 209,500 274,026 1973
Tarbela Pakistan 121,720 159,210 1976
Kambaratinsk Kyrgyzstan 112,200 146,758 UC
Fort Peck Montana 96,049 125,628 1940
Lower Usuma Nigeria 93,000 121,644 1990
Cipasang Indonesia 90,000 117,720 UC
Atatürk Turkey 84,500 110,522 1990
Yacyretá-Apipe Paraguay/Argentina 81,000 105,944 1998
Guri (Raúl Leoni) Venezuela 78,000 102,014 1986
Rogun Tajikistan 75,500 98,750 1985
Oahe South Dakota 70,339 92,000 1963
Mangla Pakistan 65,651 85,872 1967