<p>Costs related to space exploration are well documented. 
However, what about the costs of Earth projects like dam/mines/tunnels? 
What has been the most expensive projects? I know that nuclear power plants construction costs may reach the 10 billions of dollars/eur, but what about other projects?</p>

<p>As an example, how much did cost to set up the Ghawar oil field in Saudi Arabia?
 How expensive was the South Deep gold mine in South Africa?</p>

<p>My question is triggered by the expected costs related to deep geological disposal of radioactive waste, it should be on the order of 50/100 billions USD/EUR, so I would like to compare apples and oranges to understand how credible is that estimate.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T12:30:20.570Z
I agree with @ebv, the question is too broad and more economical than geological. Plus you have to consider one thing: most projects (tunnels, dams, mines, oil fields...) actually make more money than what they have cost, it's why they were built in the first place.
Jean-Marie Prival
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T12:43:10.723Z
[Crossrail](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/nov/08/crossrail-faces-further-delays-and-will-cost-more-than-18bn-tfl) is up to £18 billion by now (I guess they mean the "small" billions)...
Spencer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T16:25:31.933Z
@Jean-MariePrival It does not matter that they make money: they costed. How they were funded (profit? selling jewels? stealing money from old people?) is not the point of my question.
EarlGrey
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T16:26:25.893Z
@a_donda do not be offuscated from your political or personal point of view. Deep geological disposal is being planned and/or performed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onkalo_spent_nuclear_fuel_repository "The estimated cost of this project is about €818 million" or the swiss case https://www.bfe.admin.ch/bfe/en/home/supply/nuclear-energy/radioactive-waste/waste-disposal-principles/deep-geological-repositories.html (they estimate 20-50 bilions EUR)
EarlGrey
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T16:29:56.340Z
@a_donda when we mention that the mission to the Moon costed 1 bilion (I don't knwo, random number) do we take into account the CO2eq emitted in the higher layer of the stratosphere? the contaminants being released at the launch of the Saturn V? no, so why should we take into account them here? only because it is tangible?
EarlGrey
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-09T19:17:02.913Z
@a_donda ?Do you mean that the research on the deep geological disposal of waste are not peer-reviewed research?
Have a look at the following peer reviewed researchs:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2018WR024218 (authors from Cambridge, UK, year 2019)
this chapter from a book summing up >2 decades of peer-reviewed res
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118877517.ch2 (2015, authors from Berkeley Lab in the US and Imperial College London, UK)
Or (France, >100 peer-reviewed citations):
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00603-012-0339-6
EarlGrey
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-10T09:19:49.853Z
the largest and most expensive geology related project is the coal and oil industry.
trond hansen
<geology><economic-geology><world-building><energy>
What is the most expensive project related to Earth's geology and/or to engineering geology on the Earth?
EarlGrey
# What is the most expensive project related to Earth's geology and/or to engineering geology on the Earth?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-06-09)

Costs related to space exploration are well documented.
However, what about the costs of Earth projects like dam/mines/tunnels?
What has been the most expensive projects? I know that nuclear power plants construction costs may reach the 10 billions of dollars/eur, but what about other projects?

As an example, how much did cost to set up the Ghawar oil field in Saudi Arabia?
How expensive was the South Deep gold mine in South Africa?

My question is triggered by the expected costs related to deep geological disposal of radioactive waste, it should be on the order of 50/100 billions USD/EUR, so I would like to compare apples and oranges to understand how credible is that estimate.

**Tags:** geology, economic-geology, world-building, energy

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I agree with @ebv, the question is too broad and more economical than geological. Plus you have to consider one thing: most projects (tunnels, dams, mines, oil fields...) actually make more money than what they have cost, it's why they were built in the first place.  
> **username_2**: [Crossrail](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/nov/08/crossrail-faces-further-delays-and-will-cost-more-than-18bn-tfl) is up to £18 billion by now (I guess they mean the "small" billions)...  
> **username_0**: @username_1 It does not matter that they make money: they costed. How they were funded (profit? selling jewels? stealing money from old people?) is not the point of my question.  
> **username_0**: @a_donda do not be offuscated from your political or personal point of view. Deep geological disposal is being planned and/or performed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onkalo_spent_nuclear_fuel_repository "The estimated cost of this project is about €818 million" or the swiss case https://www.bfe.admin.ch/bfe/en/home/supply/nuclear-energy/radioactive-waste/waste-disposal-principles/deep-geological-repositories.html (they estimate 20-50 bilions EUR)  
> **username_0**: @a_donda when we mention that the mission to the Moon costed 1 bilion (I don't knwo, random number) do we take into account the CO2eq emitted in the higher layer of the stratosphere? the contaminants being released at the launch of the Saturn V? no, so why should we take into account them here? only because it is tangible?  
> **username_0**: @a_donda ?Do you mean that the research on the deep geological disposal of waste are not peer-reviewed research? Have a look at the following peer reviewed researchs: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2018WR024218 (authors from Cambridge, UK, year 2019) this chapter from a book summing up >2 decades of peer-reviewed res https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118877517.ch2 (2015, authors from Berkeley Lab in the US and Imperial College London, UK) Or (France, >100 peer-reviewed citations): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00603-012-0339-6  
> **username_3**: the largest and most expensive geology related project is the coal and oil industry.  

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## 0 answers

