India is one of the largest electricity consumers, with an installed capacity of 454.44 GW as of October 2024. Some of the largest hydroelectric power plants in India, such as Tehri and Koyna, are a part of India’s total hydropower installed capacity of 46.97 GW.

The hydropower potential of India is around 1,45,000 MW and at 60% load factor, it can meet the demand of around 85,000 MW. Currently, India has 193 hydropower plants and is 5th largest hydropower potential behind China, Brazil, the United States, and Canada.

Below is the list of top 7 hydroelectric power plants in India ranked based on their capacity.

Top Largest Hydroelectric Power Plants in India (2025)

Tehri Hydroelectric Power Plant

The Tehri Hydropower Complex consists of a 1000 MW Tehri Pumped Storage Plant, 600 MW Tehri Dam, and 400 MW Koteshwar Dam situated on the Bhagirathi River. The Tehri dam is the tallest in India, a 575m tall and 1,128m wide embankment with 52 square kilometers of surface area.

The Tehri Lake is used for irrigation and municipal water supply for Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Uttara Pradesh, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir. The construction began in 1978, and the operations began in 2006.

The Tehri Dam was designed in 1972, but construction began only in 1978, after several delays due to social activities. In 1986, Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDC) played a significant role in developing the Tehri Dam Project. The hydro complex installed another storage plant and the Koteshwar Dam with 400 MW of capacity, making the power plant 2400 MW.

Koyna Hydroelectric Project

Koyna hydroelectric project is currently the largest completed project in India, settled in the western ghats, with the generators installed deep in the mountains. The Koyna River is also known as the “Lifeline of Maharashtra” because of the dam’s massive hydro energy production. It consists of four dams, but the key generators of hydro energy were the Koyna Dam and Kolkewadi Dam. The construction began in 1954, and its operations began in 1964.

The Koyna Dam is a 103.2m tall and 807.2m wide rubble-concrete causeway with 891.78 square kilometers of surface area. The dam suffered from many earthquakes, including the one in 1967, which caused minor cracks that created hydrostatic pressures relieved later on. In 2006, the spillway section was strengthened to withstand any future earthquakes.

Sri Sailam Dam

The Sri Sailam Dam is the second largest capacity working hydroelectric power station in India. Built across the Krishna River in Nagarkurnool district (Telangana) and Nandyal district (Andhra Pradesh), the dam is constructed in a 300 m deep gorge in the Nallamala Hills near the temple town of Sri Sailam, making it one of the few deep gorges dams in the country. The resultant reservoir has an area of 616 km². The project's construction began in 1960, but it finished 20 years later in 1980 and started operating in 1987.

The dam is 145.10 m tall and 512 m wide, with radical crest gates. The left bank powerhouse is completely underground and has 6 × 150 megawatts (200,000 hp) reversible Francis-pump turbines for pumped-storage operation. Each turbine can pump up to 200 cusecs of water. On the other hand, the right bank powerhouse is semi-underground and houses 7 × 110 megawatts (150,000 hp) Francis-turbine generators.

The whole project was completed with a capital investment of INR 10 billion. In 1998 the dam suffered from excess floods that forced the dam authorities to go for repairs. As a result, the dam couldn’t generate power for one year. The Sri Sailam Dam supplies municipal drinking water and also for irrigation to several districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, such as Kurnool, Nellore, Mahbubnagar, and the Rayalaseema region.

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Nathpa Jhakri Dam

The Nathpa Jhakri Dam, built on the Sutlej river, is the most significant underground hydroelectric power project. This concrete gravity dam is a 67.5m tall and 185m wide embankment with an underground power station that generates 1530 MW of energy. The water flow is diverted and conveyed to the underground power station through the intake structure. Then the six 250 MW Francis Turbines generate power of about 6,778 MW of energy annually. The project construction began in 1993 and started operating in 2004.

This power project came under POSOCO and was owned by SJVN Limited. The SJVN Limited is a joint venture formed between the State Government of Himachal Pradesh and the Union Government of India to maintain the Nathpa Jharki Dam.

On 25th April 2024, SJVN Limited inaugurated India's first Multi-purpose (Combined Heat & Power) Green hydrogen pilot project at the Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station. The green hydrogen produced will be used for High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) Coating Facility at Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station to meet the combustion requirements. This project is developed in line with the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Sardar Sarovar Dam

The Sardar Sarovar Dam, built on the Narmada River, is among the largest of the 30 dams planned as part of the Narmada Valley Projects. It is 163 m high along with its foundation and 138.66 m without foundation. The 1210 m wide gravity dam is the second-largest concrete dam in the world after the Grand Coulee Dam across the Columbia River, US. The project construction began in 1987 and started operating in 2017.

The hydroelectric plant generates power from the six 200 MW Francis-type turbines. Being a multipurpose river valley project, it irrigates 17,920 km² of the draught-prone areas of west-central India, especially the 12 districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Moreover, it also provides drinking water to four central Indian states - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

Bhakra Dam

The Bhakra Dam, situated on the Sutlej River in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, is one of the highest gravity dams in the world, at a height of 226 m. The dam is a part of the larger Bhakra - Nangal multipurpose river valley project that aims to prevent floods in the Satluj-Beas basin, irrigate the adjoining states, and generate hydroelectricity.

The project plan and preliminary works for the dam had already started before the independence. However, the official construction started in 1948 and finished after 15 years. It started its operations in 1963.

The dam consists of 10 power generators with five on each side, supplied by Japan and the Soviet Union. The left powerhouse has 3 x 108 MW and 2 x 126 MW Francis turbines, while the right powerhouse has 5 x 157 MW turbines. Three additional power plants - Ganguwal - 77.65 MW, Kotla - 77.65 MW, and Anandpur - 134 MW were added later to increase the power generation capacity beyond 1500 MW.

The Gobind Sagar Reservoir, with an area of 166 km², forms the largest freshwater reservoir in India after the Indira Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh and Nagarjuna Sagar in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana. The Bhakra canal provides water for irrigation to 40,000 km² of land in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

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Chamera Dam

The Chamera Dam is a multipurpose hydropower project in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, with a combined hydropower capacity of 1071 MW. This hydropower development project aims to use the water resources of the Ravi river to provide drinking water and electricity generation. The plant construction began in 1983 and started operating in 1994.

The proposal for this dam started in 1982. After surveying the hydropower potential of River Ravi, the turning point was selected for the construction of the dam. After completion, the project became a hydroelectric energy source for the nearby states of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi.

The dam is divided into 3 phases: Chamera I hydropower plant (540 MW), Chamera II hydropower plant (300 MW), and Chamera III hydropower plant (231 MW). The dam forms a catchment area of 472.5 km². The reservoir has a storage capacity of 110 MCM and an annual inflow of 1,273 BCM.

Upcoming Dam Projects in India (2025)

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Siang Valley Damn project

Siang Valley Damn project in Arunachal Pradesh is planned as India's largest dam project with a capacity of 10-12 GW of power. This damn will ensure water security and allow flood management. It is being planned by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) at the Siang Rive in Siang Valley region of Arunachal Pradesh. 

Dibang Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project

On 9th March 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Dibang Hydroelectric project. This project is planned with a capacity of 2,880 MW in Arunachal Pradesh. The Diband Multipurpose Hydroelectric project by NHPC Limited will be India's highest dam that will produce more than 11,000 million units of hydropower every year. 

It will be built at a cost of more than INR 31,875 crores and will be commissioned by February 2032. Track the latest updates about India's largest dam project by subscribing to Blackridge's construction project database. 

Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project

NHPC plans Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project as one of the biggest hydroelectric project with a capacity of 2000 MW. This project is planned under the Run of River scheme with a small pondage on the river Subansiri. It is planned for North Lakhimpur on the Arunachala Pradesh and Assam border. The project is expected to be commissioned by May 2026.

Kuppa Hydro Storage Project

NHPC on 4th January 2024, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gujarat Power Corporation (GPCL) for the Kuppa Hydro Storage Project in Gujarat. It is planned at Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat with a capacity of 750 MW and a project cost of INR 4000 crores. 

Almora Pumped Storage Project

On 4th October 2023, the Uttarakhand government and JSW Neo Energy, one of the top renewable energy companies in India, signed a MoU for two pump storage of 1500 MW capacity at the lower dam from Kosi river site 1 in Joskote village of Almora. The MoU signed is worth INR 15000 crores.

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