TECHNICAL | SHAFTS, CAVERNS - HYDROPOWER
Largest surge caverns according to volume (m3
Xiluodu, China (x2) Baihetan, China
La Grande 2, Canada Longtan, China
Shuangjiangkou, China Dachaoshan, China Yebatan, China Yageng 2, China Guandi, China
Lianghekou, China Ertan, China
):
545,000 471,000 446,000 309,000 309,000 256,000 253,000 248,000 229,000 203,000 206,000
Largest surge shafts according to volume (m3
Bursar, India (planned) Jinping 1, China (x2) Wangchhu, India Ram Pur, India Teesta IV, India Luhri, India
Nuozhadu, China Larji, India Boinu, India
Cirata, Indonesia Shongtong, India
):
120,000 106,000 85,000 84,000 84,000 79,000 79,000 76,000 75,000 74,000 73,000
As with its domination of the list of the largest hydro
Below: Forbach project, Germany. Image credit: Porr.
caverns by volume, China also leads in those lists of power plants with caverns having the largest cross-sectional areas and excavated heights; it is also very well represented in terms of the long caverns. Many of the same power plant projects that are highest in cavern volume also lead among those of the largest cross-sectional area – but in a different order: Xiangjiaba leads in cross-section (2700m²) but is 6th in terms of excavated volume; Three Gorges 2 (2650m²) is similarly high ranked; Baihetan (2400m²) is 3rd in cross- sectional area and 2nd largest by volume; Wudongde (2330m²) is 4th by area and 8th by volume; Longtan (2400m²) is 5th by area and 4th by volume); Pengshui (2180m²) is 6th by cross-section and 10th by volume; and, Xiluodu (2150m²) is 7th by area but is the largest by volume.
Svartisen power cavern fitted out and operational, Norway. In terms of the excavated height of conventional
hydropower caverns, the listing of top 11 is again dominated by China. The listing has heights ranging from 72m to 87m, the largest of the range being located in China, which has nine power plant caverns in the list with heights from 74m to 87m. The projects in China above 80m in height are: TG 2 (Sanmenxia) (87m); Wudongde (87m); Xiangjiaba (86m); Suofengying (85m); Longtan (82m); and Nuozhadu (82m). Canada has the longest conventional hydro cavern,
at 484m, in the La Grande 2 power plant. In the top 10 longest caverns, there is another in Canada – Kemano 1, at 348m in length. China has five plants in the top 10 ranking of the
longest hydro caverns – Xiluodu (443m), Nuozhadu (418m), Baihtan (400m), Longtan (388m), and Jinping 2 (352m). Slightly shorter than Longtan is the planned Dibang project (383m), in India. In the top rankings also include Luxembourg’s Vianden (330m).
SURGE – CAVERNS & SHAFTS China again dominates the list of the 11 largest surge caverns by volume, although Canada’s La Grande 2 (446,000m³) is 3rd placed in the ranking. The largest surge caverns in China are part of the
hydraulic conduits of the following power plants – Xiluodu, Baihetan, Longtan and Shuangjiangkou are each larger than 300,000m³; and Dachaoshan, Yebatan, Yageng 2, Guandi, Lianghekou and Ertan are each greater than 200,000m³. India, though, dominates in terms of the largest surge
shafts by volume with seven of the 10 largest that have been built – and one more that is in planning and would beat them all: Bursar (120,000m³).
This article is a shorter summary extract of elements of a longer report on hydro cavern data, kindly shared by T&TI’s sister title International Water Power & Dam Construction, at
www.waterpowermagazine.com
28 | September 2026
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