Hydro potential

Today, hydropower provides about 19% (2 650 TWh/yr) of the world’s electricity supply.

Information received from WEC Member Committees, supplemented by data published by The International Journal on Hydropower & Dams, indicates that the world’s total technically feasible hydro potential is about 14 400 TWh/yr, of which just over 8 000 TWh/yr is currently considered to be economically feasible for development. Installed hydro-electric generating capacity is some 692 GW, with a further 110 GW under construction (see Tables 7.1 and 7.2).


The remaining economically exploitable potential is about 5 400 TWh/yr: assuming the same average annual utilisation as for the totality of existing hydro power plants, the exploitation of this potential would entail the construction of some 1 400 GW of hydro capacity (twice the present installed capacity).

An investment of at least US$ 1 500 billion would be necessary to realise such a programme. Assuming a mean level of hydro power plant capacity in the range of 50 MW to 100 MW, some 20 000 plants would need to be built (very large schemes such as Three Gorges and Itaipú will not be the norm, and it can be anticipated that future development of hydropower will generally follow the pattern observed in the western countries up to the present).

In order to implement a plant construction programme of this magnitude, a great deal of work (technical, financial and political) would need to be accomplished by all the players involved, particularly in Asia, South America and Africa.

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