Post: The Most Expensive Single Objects In The World
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07-21-2010, 02:41 PM
#1
-Smithy-
Call Me Sherminator !
Here is another thread by -Smithy-. I hope you enjoy this one as much as my other threads ! =D
This is a list of the world's most expensive single objects. The figures below represent the estimated cost to build these objects, not taking into account inflation. This list is not limited to objects of commercial use. It is for the sole purpose of identifying expensive man-made objects and the respective economic costs involved in building them.
Significant objects that do not appear on this list are things like the Great Pyramid of Giza.
In order to limit the size and scope of this list objects which cost less than $1 billion are not listed.
Significant objects that do not appear on this list are things like the Great Pyramid of Giza.
In order to limit the size and scope of this list objects which cost less than $1 billion are not listed.
The International Space Station (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility that is being assembled in low Earth orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by late 2011. The station is expected to remain in operation until at least 2015, and likely 2020. With a greater mass than that of any previous space station, the ISS can be seen from Earth with the naked eye, and is by far the largest artificial satellite that has ever orbited Earth. The ISS serves as a research laboratory that has a microgravity environment in which crews conduct experiments in biology, chemistry, human biology, physics, astronomy and meteorology. The station has a unique environment for the testing of the spacecraft systems that will be required for missions to the Moon and Mars. The ISS is operated by Expedition crews, with the station programme maintaining an uninterrupted human presence in space since the launch of Expedition 1 on 31 October 2000, a total of 9 years and 262 days. The programme is thus approaching the current record, set aboard Mir, of 3,644 days (8 days short of 10 years), with the ISS expected to take the record on 23 October 2010. As of 1 June 2010, the crew of Expedition 24 is aboard.
Cost of the ISS:
$157 billion
Country:
Canada
European Space Agency
Japan
Russia
United States
Scheduled date of completion:
Late 2011
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The Itaipu Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The name "Itaipu" was taken from an isle that existed near the construction site. In the Guarani language, Itaipu means "the sound of a stone". The American composer Philip Glass has also written a symphonic cantata named Itaipu, in honour of the structure.
The dam is the largest operating hydroelectric facility in terms of annual generating capacity, generating 94.7 TWh in 2008 and 91.6 TWh in 2009, while the annual generating capacity of the Three Gorges Dam was 80.8 TWh in 2008 and 79.4 TWh in 2009[1]. It is a binational undertaking run by Brazil and Paraguay at the Paraná River on the border section between the two countries, 15 km (9.3 mi) north of the Friendship Bridge. The project ranges from Foz do Iguaçu, in Brazil, and Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, in the south to Guaíra and Salto del Guaíra in the north. The installed generation capacity of the plant is 14 GW, with 20 generating units providing 700 MW each with a hydraulic design head of 118 m. In 2008 the plant generated a record 94.68 billion kWh, supplying 90% of the energy consumed by Paraguay and 19% of that consumed by Brazil.
Of the twenty generator units currently installed, ten generate at 50 Hz for Paraguay and ten generate at 60 Hz for Brazil. Two 600 kV HVDC lines, each approximately 800 km long, carry both Brazilian and Paraguayan energy to São Paulo where the terminal equipment converts the power to 60 Hz.
Cost:
$27 billion
Country:
Brazil
Paraguay
Year Of Completion:
1984
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The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China. It is the world's largest electricity-generating plant of any kind.
The dam body was completed in 2006. Except for a ship lift, the originally planned components of the project were completed on October 30, 2008 when the 26th generator in the shore plant began commercial operation. Each generator has a capacity of 700 MW.
Six additional generators in the underground power plant are not expected to become fully operational until 2011. Coupling the dam's 32 main generators with 2 smaller generators (50 MW each) to power the plant itself, the total electric generating capacity of the dam will eventually reach 22.5 GW.
The project produces electricity, increases the river's shipping capacity, and reduces the potential for floods downstream by providing flood storage space. From completion through September 2009 the dam has generated 348.4 TWh of electricity, covering more than one third of its cost.
The Chinese state regards the project as an historic engineering, social and economic success, with the design of state of the art large turbines, and a move toward limiting greenhouse gas emissions. However, the dam flooded archaeological and cultural sites and displaced some 1.3 million people, and is causing significant ecological changes, including an increased risk of landslides. The dam has been a controversial topic both in China and abroad.
Cost:
$25 billion
Country:
China
Date Of Completion:
2011 (expected)
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The James Bay Project refers to the construction by state-owned utility Hydro-Québec of a series of hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Quebec, Canada, and the diversion of neighbouring rivers into the La Grande watershed. It is located between James Bay to the west and Labrador to the east and its waters flow from the Laurentian Plateau of the Canadian Shield. The project covers an area of the size of the State of New York and is one of the largest hydroelectric systems in the world. The project has cost upwards of $20 billion US to build and has an installed generating capacity of 16,000 megawatts, three times more than all of the power stations at Niagara Falls, eight times the power of Hoover Dam, and over twice the power of all eight reactors units at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, the largest in North America. If fully expanded to include all of the original planned dams, as well as the additional "James Bay II" projects, the system would generate a total of 27,000 MW, making it the largest hydroelectric system in the world.
Cost:
$13.8 billion
Country:
Canada
Date Of Completion:
1972
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The Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers (or Ford-class) are a planned class of supercarrier for the United States Navy, intended to replace the current Nimitz-class carriers. The new vessels will use a hull design very similar to the Nimitz carriers, but many aspects of the design will be very different, implementing new technologies developed since the initial design of the previous class (such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System), as well as other design features intended to improve efficiency and running costs, including a reduced crew requirement. The first hull of the line will be named Gerald R. Ford, and will have the hull number CVN-78.
Cost:
$8.1 billion per unit
Country:
United States
Date Of Completion:
2015 (expected)
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The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), includes the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, 11 pump stations, several hundred miles of feeder pipelines, and the Valdez Marine Terminal. It is commonly called the Alaska Pipeline, Trans-Alaska Pipeline, or Alyeska Pipeline, (or the Pipeline as referred to in Alaska), but those terms technically apply only to the 800.302 miles (1,287.961 km) of the pipleline with the diameter of 48 inches (122 cm) that conveys oil from Prudhoe Bay, to Valdez, Alaska. The crude oil pipeline is privately owned by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company.
The pipeline was built between 1974 and 1977 after the 1973 oil crisis caused a sharp rise in oil prices in the United States. This rise made exploration of the Prudhoe Bay oil field economically feasible. Environmental, legal, and political debates followed the discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay in 1968, and the pipeline was built only after the oil crisis provoked the passage of legislation designed to remove legal challenges to the project.
The task of building the pipeline had to address a wide range of difficulties, stemming mainly from the extreme cold and the difficult, isolated terrain. The construction of the pipeline was one of the first large-scale projects to deal with problems caused by permafrost, and special construction techniques had to be developed to cope with the frozen ground. The project attracted tens of thousands of workers to Alaska, causing a boomtown atmosphere in Valdez, Fairbanks, and Anchorage.
The first barrel of oil traveled through the pipeline in 1977, and full-scale production began by the end of the year. Several notable incidents of oil leakage have occurred since, including those caused by sabotage, maintenance failures, and gunshot holes. The most significant oil spill associated with the pipeline was caused by the Exxon Valdez, and did not directly involve the pipeline. As of 2010, the pipeline has shipped almost 16 billion barrels (2.5×109 m3) of oil.
Cost:
$8 billion
Country:
United States
Date Of Completion:
1977
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ITER (originally the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is an international tokamak (magnetic confinement fusion) research/engineering project that could help to make the transition from today's studies of plasma physics to future electricity-producing fusion power plants. It builds on research done with devices such as DIII-D, EAST, ADITYA, KSTAR, TFTR, ASDEX Upgrade, Joint European Torus, JT-60, Tore Supra and T-15.
Cost:
$6.5 billion
Country:
European Union
India
Japan
China
Russia
South Korea
United States
Date Of Completion:
2016 (expected)
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The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. The LHC lies in a tunnel 27 kilometres (17 mi) in circumference, as much as 175 metres (574 ft) beneath the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland.
This synchrotron is designed to collide opposing particle beams of either protons at an energy of 7 teraelectronvolts (1.12 microjoules) per particle, or lead nuclei at an energy of 574 TeV (92.0 µJ) per nucleus. The term hadron refers to particles composed of quarks. It is expected that it will address the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing our understanding of the deepest laws of nature.
The Large Hadron Collider was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) with the intention of testing various predictions of high-energy physics, including the existence of the hypothesized Higgs boson and of the large family of new particles predicted by supersymmetry. It is funded by and built in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and engineers from over 100 countries as well as hundreds of universities and laboratories.
On 10 September 2008, the proton beams were successfully circulated in the main ring of the LHC for the first time, but nine days later, operations were halted due to a serious fault between two superconducting bending magnets. Repairing the resulting damage and installing additional safety features took over a year.
On 20 November 2009, the proton beams were successfully circulated again, with the first proton–proton collisions being recorded three days later at the injection energy of 450 GeV per beam. The LHC became the world's highest-energy particle accelerator on 30 November 2009, achieving a world record 1.18 TeV per beam and surpassing the record previously held by the Tevatron at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois.
After the 2009 winter shutdown, the LHC was restarted and the beam was ramped up to 3.5 TeV per beam, half its designed energy, which is planned for after its 2012 shutdown. On 30 March 2010, the first planned collisions took place between two 3.5 TeV beams, which set a new world record for the highest-energy man-made particle collisions.
Cost:
$6 billion
Country:
CERN
Date Of Completion:
2008
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Lisbon - Alcochete Airport is the currently planned site for construction of a new Lisbon Airport, scheduled to replace or complement the current Portela Airport in the year 2017.
As of February 2008, the location was subject to public consultation. After years of debating whether Alcochete or Ota would be the place to build the new Lisbon airport, Alcochete won as it was more accessible due to the good infrastructure nearby, for example the Vasco da Gama Bridge.
The location of Alcochete as the construction site of the future Lisbon Airport was confirmed by the Portuguese Government on 8 May 2008. The estimated cost for the project is € 3 billion (approximately $ 4,5 billion). Construction will probably start in late 2010 or early 2011.
Cost:
$4,5 billion (estimated)
Country:
Portugal
Date Of Completion:
2017 (expected)
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Mir was a Soviet and later Russian space station. It was the world's first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space, and the first of the third generation type of space station, constructed from 1986 to 1996 with a modular design. The station was in operation for fifteen years until March 23, 2001, when it was deliberately de-orbited, breaking apart during atmospheric re-entry over the South Pacific Ocean.
The station currently holds the record for the longest continuous manned presence in space, at eight days short of ten years, and was occupied for a total of twelve and a half years of its fifteen-year lifespan. Mir had the capacity to support a resident crew of three but could also support larger crews for short-term visits, the largest crew simultaneously aboard the station being six.
Through a number of international collaborations, including Intercosmos, Euromir and the Shuttle-Mir Program, the station was made accessible to astronauts from North America, several western European nations, Japan as well as cosmonauts from various eastern nations. Mir also marked the beginning of space tourism when Japanese journalist Toyohiro Akiyama made a paid visit in 1990.
Cost:
$4.3 billion
Country:
Russia
Date Of Completion:
1996
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The Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant (also known as Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant) run and operated by The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is located on Deer Island, one of the Boston Harbor Islands in Boston Harbor. The plant began operating in 1995.
Deer Island is the second largest sewage treatment plant in the United States. The plant is a key part of the program to protect Boston Harbor against pollution from sewer systems in eastern Massachusetts, mandated by a 1984 federal court ruling by Judge Paul G. Garrity in a case brought under the Clean Water Act.
Cost:
$3.8 billion
Country:
United States
Date Of Completion:
2000
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The Oosterscheldekering (in English: Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier), between the islands Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland, is the largest of the 13 ambitious Delta works series of dams, designed to protect the Netherlands from flooding. The construction of the Delta Works was in response to the North Sea Flood of 1953.
Cost:
3.75 billion
Country:
Netherlands
Date Of Completion:
1986
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USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), the third and last Seawolf-class submarine, is the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for former President Jimmy Carter, who served in the United States Navy as a Communications Officer, Sonar Officer, Electronics Officer, Weapons Officer, and Supply Officer while on board the USS Pomfret (SS-391). Jimmy Carter is one of the few ships of the United States Navy to have been named for a person who was alive at the time of the ship's naming, and the first submarine to be named for a living former president; Jimmy Carter is the only U.S. President to qualify in submarines.
Cost:
3.2 billion
Country:
United States
Date Of Completion:
2004
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Taipei 101 , also known as the Taipei Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building ranked officially as the world's tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. Taipei 101, designed by C.Y. Lee & partners and constructed primarily by KTRT Joint Venture and numerous subcontractors including Samsung C&T received the 2004 Emporis Skyscraper Award and was hailed as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World (Newsweek magazine, 2006) and Seven Wonders of Engineering (Discovery Channel, 2005). The tower has served as an icon of modern Taiwan ever since its opening. Fireworks launched from Taipei 101 feature prominently in international New Year's Eve broadcasts and the structure appears frequently in travel literature and international media.
Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The name of the tower reflects its floor count. The building was architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition (see "Symbolism" below.) Its postmodernist approach to style incorporates traditional design elements and gives them modern treatments. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. A multi-level shopping mall adjoins the tower houses to hundreds of fashionable stores, restaurants and clubs.
Taipei 101 is owned by the Taipei Financial Center Corporation (TFCC) and managed by the International division of Urban Retail Properties Corporation based in Chicago. The name originally planned for the building, Taipei World Financial Center (until 2003), was derived from the name of the owner.
Cost:
$1.8 billion
Country:
Taiwan
Date Of Completion:
2004
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The Space Shuttle, part of the Space Transportation System (STS), is an American spacecraft operated by NASA for orbital human spaceflight missions. The first of four test flights occurred in 1981, which were followed by operational flights beginning in 1982. The system is scheduled to be retired from service in 2011 after 134 launches. Major missions have included launching numerous satellites and interplanetary probes, conducting space science experiments, and servicing and construction of space stations. The Shuttle has been used for orbital space missions by NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, the European Space Agency, and Germany. The United States funded STS development and shuttle operations.
At launch, the Space Shuttle consists of a dark orange-colored external tank (ET);[1][2] two white, slender Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs); and the STS Orbiter Vehicle (OV) which contains the crew and payload. Payloads can be launched into higher orbits with either of two different booster stages developed for STS (1 stage PAM or 2 stage IUS).
Cost:
$1.7 billion per uni
Country:
United States
Date Of Completion:
1977
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Burj Khalifa , known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft). Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010, and is part of the new 2 km2 (490-acre) flagship development called Downtown Dubai at the 'First Interchange' along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai's main business district.
The tower's architecture and engineering were performed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill of Chicago, with Adrian Smith (now at his own firm) as chief architect, and Bill Baker as chief structural engineer. The primary contractor was Samsung C&T of South Korea. In June 2010, Burj Khalifa was the recipient of the 2010 Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa award by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
The total cost for the project was about US$1.5 billion; and for the entire '
owntown Dubai', US$20 billion. In March 2009, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman of the project's developer, Emaar Properties, said office space pricing at Burj Khalifa reached US$4,000 per sq ft (over US$43,000 per m2) and the Armani Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, sold for US$3,500 per sq ft (over US$37,500 per m2).The project's completion coincided with the global financial crisis of 2007–2010, and with vast overbuilding in the country, led to high vacancies and foreclosures. With Dubai mired in debt from its huge ambitions, the government was forced to seek multi-billion dollar bailouts from its oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, in a surprise move at its opening ceremony, the tower was renamed Burj Khalifa, said to honor the UAE President, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his crucial support.
Cost:
$1.5 billion
Country:
United Arab Emirates
Date Of Completion:
2010
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The Gold Coast desalination project is a reverse osmosis, water desalination plant that supplies water to the Gold Coast and South East Queensland via the South East Queensland Water Grid, located in Tugun.
After investigations by the Gold Coast Desalination Alliance, the Gold Coast City Council chose Tugun as the most suitable site for the desalination plant. The cost is expected to be in excess of $1 billion. The GCD Alliance consists of Veolia Water, John Holland Group, Sinclair Knight Merz and Gold Coast Water.
Initial plans were for a $260 million plant producing 55 megalitres a day. The State Government then contributed $869 million to increase the output to 125 megalitres a day to share with the rest of southeast Queensland. There is potential to increase output to 167 megalitres a day, however the plant is currently a reserve site on the Queensland Water Commission's list of possible sites for future desalination plants. Lytton and either Marcoola or Bribie Island are the priority sites.
Cost:
$1.2 billion
Country:
Australia
Date Of Completion:
2009
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The Bank of China Tower (abbreviated BOC Tower) is one of the most recognisable skyscrapers in Central, Hong Kong. It houses the headquarters for the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited. The building is located at 1 Garden Road, in Central and Western District on Hong Kong Island.
Designed by I. M. Pei, the building is 305 m (1,000.7 ft) high with two masts reaching 367.4 m (1,205.4 ft) high. It was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992, and it was the first building outside the United States to break the 305 m (1,000 ft) mark. It is now the fourth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre and Central Plaza.
Cost:
$1 billion
Country:
Hong Kong
Date Of Completion:
1990
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The following 12 users say thank you to -Smithy- for this useful post:
07-21-2010, 10:47 PM
#11
ShAdoW_RiDa
Former Blue Mod
07-22-2010, 11:18 AM
#14
-Smithy-
Call Me Sherminator !
Originally posted by RiDa
They all belong to me =D
Nice thread Smithy :y:
Nice thread Smithy :y:
Thank you !
Originally posted by Venom
Next time, make pages, too much scrolling, you hurt my mouse 
Good post BTW!!
Good post BTW!!
Lol
Originally posted by iDelete
Imagine jumping off or sky diving off the Taipei 101 =D
Would be pretty fcuking awesome ! :tits:
07-24-2010, 08:42 PM
#15
bmxrcodol04
Im a Hitmarker
07-25-2010, 03:57 PM
#17
-Smithy-
Call Me Sherminator !
Originally posted by bmxrcodol04
Lisbon - Alcochete Airport no photo availiable =D lol and id totally love to drag race someone on the "Oosterscheldekering" if its even driveable on lol
+rep for the effort of this thread
+rep for the effort of this thread
Yeah. I put the picture their because I couldn't find any pictures of it :/ Haha. Thanks for the rep
Originally posted by LeechMate
Nicee Thread, a few things i expected in the list
Awesome, thanks =D
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