Türkiye added 399 megawatts (MW) to its hydropower capacity last year, marking Europe's largest increase in capacity, 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 gigawatts (GW) globally last year, up by 13,700 MW compared to 2022, IHA's "2024 World Hydropower Outlook" revealed.
Worldwide pumped storage projects added around 6,500 MW of new capacity.
East Asian and Pacific countries increased their capacities by 8,586 MW, followed by Africa with 1,874 and South and Central Asian countries with 1,338 MW.
Last year, Europe added 717 MW of new hydroelectric capacity as its total installed capacity reached 259,000 MW.
Türkiye moves up
Türkiye added 399 MW, the highest in Europe, last year, bringing it to first place from third place in 2022.
Diversifying the energy mix and ramping up the renewables agenda is important to the country, which prioritizes reducing its dependence on foreign energy sources and aiming to meet its energy needs from local sources. The country's 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 plans.
Other European countries in the top five included Austria, Germany, Norway and Finland. Austria added 120 MW of hydropower last year, followed by Germany and Norway with 91 MW and 90 MW, respectively. Finland increased its hydropower capacity by 5 MW in 2023.
In Europe, Norway has the largest hydropower installed capacity, at 33,897 MW, and Türkiye ranks second with 32,529 MW.
China takes lead
China had 421,000 MW of installed capacity as of the end of last year, the largest capacity in the world. Last year, it added 6,740 MW, which was the largest increase globally, according to IHA.
Brazil ranks second with an installed hydropower capacity of 110,000 MW, while the U.S. is third with 102,000 MW.
Canada, Russia, India, Japan, Norway, Türkiye and France follow these top 3 countries in global installed capacity.
Last year, 4,185 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity were produced from hydropower plants around the world. The highest generation occurred in the East Asia and Pacific region, with 1,503 TWh, followed by South America, with 728 TWh and North and Central American countries with 645 TWhs.