Clean Energy
The 30 Largest U.S. Hydropower Plants
The following content is sponsored by the National Public Utilities Council
The 30 Largest Hydropower Plants in the U.S.
Did you know that the largest power plant in the United States is hydroelectric?
Hydropower is the second-largest source of U.S. renewable electricity generation and the largest source of power in seven different states.
The above infographic from the National Public Utilities Council charts the 30 largest U.S. hydropower plants and shows how droughts are starting to affect hydroelectricity. This is part one of two in the Hydropower Series.
Dam, That’s Large: U.S. Hydropower Plants by Generation
The top 30 hydropower plants account for around 50% of U.S. hydroelectric generation annually.
Hydropower plants are most prevalent in the Northwestern states of Washington and Oregon, jointly hosting 16 of the top 30 plants.
Plant Name | State | 2021 Avg. Net Electricity Generation (MWh) | % of Total Hydropower Generation |
---|---|---|---|
Grand Coulee | Washington | 19,550,777 | 7% |
Robert Moses - Niagara | New York | 14,186,130 | 5% |
Chief Joseph | Washington | 11,092,216 | 4% |
John Day | Oregon | 9,041,083 | 3% |
Robert Moses - St. Lawrence | New York | 6,906,420 | 3% |
The Dalles | Oregon | 6,613,185 | 2% |
Rocky Reach | Washington | 5,935,038 | 2% |
McNary | Oregon | 5,369,726 | 2% |
Wanapum | Washington | 4,820,651 | 2% |
Bonneville | Oregon | 4,659,483 | 2% |
Priest Rapids | Washington | 4,462,873 | 2% |
Wells | Washington | 4,153,466 | 2% |
Glen Canyon | Arizona | 3,772,010 | 1% |
Boundary | Washington | 3,730,184 | 1% |
Rock Island | Washington | 2,532,044 | 0.9% |
Wilson Dam | Alabama | 2,404,440 | 0.9% |
Lower Monumental | Washington | 2,240,264 | 0.8% |
Oahe | South Dakota | 2,181,664 | 0.8% |
Lower Granite | Washington | 2,171,590 | 0.8% |
Little Goose | Washington | 2,156,654 | 0.8% |
Brownlee | Idaho | 2,154,411 | 0.8% |
Libby | Montana | 2,122,863 | 0.8% |
Hoover Dam - NV | Nevada | 2,044,127 | 0.7% |
Garrison | North Dakota | 1,941,731 | 0.7% |
Shasta | California | 1,907,761 | 0.7% |
Hells Canyon | Oregon | 1,900,591 | 0.7% |
Conowingo | Maryland | 1,885,395 | 0.7% |
Dworshak | Idaho | 1,773,911 | 0.6% |
Hoover Dam - AZ | Arizona | 1,713,563 | 0.6% |
Noxon Rapids | Montana | 1,710,754 | 0.6% |
Total | N/A | 137,135,005 | 50% |
The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington is the country’s largest power plant. It generates over 19.5 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity annually and supplies it to eight states, including parts of Canada. Overall, 10 of the top 30 hydropower plants are in Washington.
The Robert Moses Power Plant is a close second, located around 5 miles downstream from Niagara Falls. Combined with the nearby Lewiston Pump Generation Plant, it is New York’s single-largest source of electricity.
While hydropower is a relatively reliable renewable power source, prolonged dry conditions can put it at risk. That is the case for both the Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams, which are no longer running at previous capacities.
Running Dry: Water Scarcity and Hydropower
The Southwestern U.S. has been in a “megadrought”—a prolonged drought lasting longer than two decades—since 2000. In fact, it has gotten so severe that the past 22 years mark the region’s driest spell in 1,200 years.
Consequently, many Southwestern reservoirs have below-average storage levels. When these levels fall below a certain threshold, hydropower plants can no longer generate power.
In particular, storage levels are precariously low at Lake Mead (Hoover Dam) and Lake Powell (Glen Canyon Dam), which supply most of Arizona’s hydroelectricity. They are also the two largest reservoirs in the country.
Here’s a look at how filled these reservoirs are as of Dec. 4, 2022:
Reservoir | Total Storage (acre ft) | Current Storage (acre ft) | % Full |
---|---|---|---|
Lake Mead (Hoover Dam) | 26,120,000 | 7,194,077 | 28% |
Lake Powell (Glen Canyon Dam) | 24,322,000 | 5,696,907 | 23% |
To put those figures into perspective, here’s an animation looking at Lake Powell’s surface area changes from 2018 to 2022:

Shrinking water levels at reservoirs threaten the reliability of hydropower and the millions of people that rely on it for electricity. As droughts become more frequent due to climate change, what does the future of hydropower look like?
Find out in Part 2 of the Hydropower Series, where we’ll dive deeper into how droughts are affecting dams and how hydropower fits into the bigger decarbonization picture.
Clean Energy
Charted: Progress on 2030 Renewable Energy Targets by Country
In this graphic, we visualize whether major electricity-consuming countries are on track to meet their 2030 renewable energy targets.

Progress on 2030 Renewable Energy Targets by Country
The International Energy Agency states that the global installed capacity of renewable energy must triple by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
This makes the next six years critical in the climate fight, with the upcoming United Nations COP28 event in Dubai representing a great time to assess the progress of countries toward achieving their 2030 targets.
Checking in on Progress
As set out by their Nationally Determined Contributions in the Paris Agreement, many countries, including major electricity consumers such as the U.S., European Union, China, India, and the UK, have set ambitious targets for increasing their solar and wind power generation capacities by 2030.
The data, however, suggests that many are struggling to keep pace with the required annual capacity additions that will allow them to hit these targets.
Currently, China stands out as the only nation on track to meet its 2030 target. In 2022, it not only met but significantly exceeded its required capacity additions to remain on track, adding 168% of the required 101 GW.
Let’s now take a closer look at how each of these countries are faring, comparing how much wind and solar capacity they needed to add with how much they actually did in 2022.
Country / Region | 2030 Target | Annual Average Wind and Solar Capacity Additions Needed to Hit 2030 Target | Actual Capacity Additions in 2022 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wind | Solar | Total | Wind | Solar | Total | ||
India | 40% zero-carbon generation by 2030 (includes nuclear) | 16 GW | 19 GW | 35 GW | 2 GW | 18 GW | 20 GW |
China | 28% renewables by 2030 | 57 GW | 44 GW | 101 GW | 55 GW | 115 GW | 170 GW |
United States | 739 GW of wind and solar by 2030 to reach zero-carbon electricity by 2035 | 34 GW | 35 GW | 69 GW | 11 GW | 21 GW | 32 GW |
United Kingdom | 60% renewables by 2030 | 4 GW | 3 GW | 7 GW | 4 GW | 1 GW | 5 GW |
European Union | REPowerEU: 42.5% renewables by 2030 | 38 GW | 48 GW | 86 GW | 16 GW | 38 GW | 54 GW |
Overall, the U.S. and India were the furthest off from their targets in 2022, adding only 46% and 57% of what was needed, respectively. European countries, on the other hand, made progress but still need substantial annual additions to meet their targets by 2030.
Playing Catch-Up: The Path to 2030
Collectively, the U.S., European Union, China, India, and the UK account for more than 60% of global electricity consumption, underscoring their profound responsibility in decarbonizing their electricity sectors.
Investments in research and development, policy support, and infrastructure development are all crucial pieces of the puzzle when it comes to achieving 2030 targets.
With swift and bold action, these nations have an opportunity to transform the global energy landscape and move the needle toward achieving net-zero on a global scale.
Learn more about how electric utilities and the power sector can lead on the path toward decarbonization here.
Clean Energy
Breaking Down the $110 Trillion Cost of the Clean Energy Transition
The clean energy transition will cost $110 trillion in global capital investments between 2021 and 2050. Here’s that sum broken down by sector.

The $110 Trillion Cost of the Clean Energy Transition
The Energy Transitions Commission estimates that achieving net-zero by 2050 requires an average annual investment of $3.5 trillion globally between 2021 and 2050.
That’s a total of $110 trillion in capital investment, or 1.3% of projected global GDP, over the next three decades.
The question then arises: where should this substantial sum of money be allocated?
In collaboration with the National Public Utilities Council, this graphic delves into the answers to that question utilizing data from the Energy Transitions Commission.
How Much Will the Clean Energy Transition Cost?
Of the $3.5 trillion dollars that needs to be invested annually into a net-zero economy, around $2.4 trillion should flow into the electricity sector, according to the Energy Transitions Commission. This accounts for 70% of the annual investment.
Decarbonizing the electricity sector holds significant importance as it can serve as a catalyst for the decarbonization of all other sectors, including:
- Buildings, which are becoming increasingly electrified through the growing use of heat pumps
- Electrified road transportation
- Electricity-intensive industrial activities, such as cement, steel, and chemical production
- Green hydrogen production
Now, let’s take a collective look at the avenues of investment needed to reach net-zero by 2050 in more detail.
Sector | Subsector | Average Capital Investment Needed Per Year 2021-2050 | Total Sector Investment Needed Per Year 2021-2050 |
---|---|---|---|
The Power Sector | Zero-Carbon Power Generation | $1300B | $2400B |
Power Networks | $900B | ||
Power Storage and Grid Flexibility | $200B | ||
Buildings | Retrofits | $230B | $500B |
Heat Pumps | $130B | ||
Renewable Heating | $140B | ||
Transport | Road Charging Infrastructure | $130B | $240B |
Aviation | $70B | ||
Shipping | $40B | ||
Carbon Removal | Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) | $100B | $130B |
Hybrid and engineered carbon removal solutions | $30B | ||
Clean Hydrogen | Production | $40B | $80B |
Transport and storage | $40B | ||
Industry | Chemicals | $40B | $70B |
Steel | $10B | ||
Cement | $10B | ||
Aluminum | $10B |
All figures are in real 2021 U.S. dollars
Overall, the diversity of the table above underscores the multifaceted approach required for a low-carbon transition.
Is the World on Track to Reach Net-Zero?
In 2022, the global capital investment in the clean energy transition totaled $1.1 trillion—approximately one-third of the required annual average to reach net-zero.
With that said, it’s important to note that the $3.5 trillion figure is an average across 29 years. Opportunities to catch up still exist, although the window is closing quickly.
According to the Energy Transitions Commission, investments must double from their current levels to around $2 trillion by 2025 and peak at around $4.2 trillion by 2040.
To remain on track to net-zero, therefore, we must make significant and rapid investments in all sectors, with a primary focus on the power sector.
Learn more about how electric utilities and the power sector can lead on the path toward decarbonization here.
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