Türkiye added 399 megawatts to its hydropower capacity last year, the largest increase in capacity in Europe, according to a recent report by the International Hydropower Association (IHA).
Globally, hydropower plants are preferred for their efficiency and longevity, in addition to generating clean energy, compared to fossil fuels.
Installed hydropower capacity reached 1,416,000 megawatts globally last year, up by 13,700 megawatts compared to 2022, IHA’s ‘2024 World Hydropower Outlook’ revealed.
Worldwide pumped storage projects added around 6,500 megawatts of new capacity.
East Asian and Pacific countries increased their capacities by 8,586 megawatts, followed by Africa with 1,874 and South and Central Asian countries with 1,338 megawatts.
Last year, Europe added 717 megawatts of new hydroelectric capacity as its total installed capacity reached 259,000 megawatts.
-Türkiye moves up to 1st
In Europe, Türkiye added 399 megawatts, the highest in Europe, last year, which made Türkiye move up to 1st from 3rd place in 2022.
Türkiye, prioritizes reducing its dependence on foreign energy sources and aims to meet its energy needs from local sources. The investments in hydropower are in line with its climate goals.
increasing the share of renewables and hydropower remains an integral part of the country’s future plans.
Other European countries in the top 5 included Austria, Germany, Norway, and Finland. Austria added 120 megawatts of hydropower last year, followed by Germany and Norway with 91 megawatts and 90 megawatts, respectively. Finland increased its hydropower capacity by 5 megawatts in 2023.
– China has largest hydropower installed capacity
In Europe, Norway has the largest hydropower installed capacity at 33,897 megawatts, and Türkiye ranks second with 32,529 megawatts.
China had 421,000 megawatts of installed capacity as of the end of last year, the largest capacity in the world.
Brazil ranks second with an installed capacity of 110,000 megawatts, while the US is third with 102,000 megawatts.
Canada, Russia, India, Japan, Norway, Türkiye and France follow these top 3 countries in global installed capacity.
Last year, 4,185 terawatt-hours of electricity was produced from hydropower plants around the world. The highest generation occurred in the East Asia and Pacific region with 1,503 terawatt-hours, followed by South America with 728 terawatt-hours and North and Central American countries with 645 terawatt-hours.
