The most expensive building on the planet

The world's most expensive object is not the lavish skyscrapers but a new nuclear power plant in the UK with construction costs of up to 35.8 billion USD.

According to the European Commission, Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant has an estimated construction cost of US $ 35.8 billion. When completed in 2023, it will provide 3.3 gigawatts of electricity, meeting 7% of Britain's energy needs.

Hinkley Point C will be started by French power company EDF. This will be the first nuclear power plant in the UK for 30 years. It costs significantly more than the Sizewell B power plant inaugurated in 1995 with a construction capital of $ 6 billion, according to IFL Science.

Graphic of Hinkley Point C. nuclear power plant (Photo: Wordpress).

Compared to Hinkley Point C, Large Grain Accelerator (LHC) of the European Nuclear Research Organization (CERN), the world's largest machine consumes $ 4.75 billion of construction costs. Including the cost of conducting experiments and operating every year, the total amount of money poured into the LHC is 13.25 billion USD, only 1/3 of Hinkley Point C.

If focusing on successful scientific works, two laser interferometer (LIGO) monitoring stations, which discovered gravitational waves earlier this year, cost $ 620 million. The investment for the Hinkley Point C power plant is enough to build 57 similar monitoring stations.

However, two other expensive projects far outstrip Hinkley Point C in terms of cost.The Gorden natural gas liquefaction project of the oil company under construction in Western Australia is expected to cost $ 54 billion when completed. But the most expensive object ever built by humans is not on Earth, but in orbit. International Space Station (ISS) costs up to 115 billion USD.

Hinkley Point C may not be the most expensive project on the planet , leading to much controversy around the construction plan. However, according to Dr. Ben Britton, technical lecturer at Imperial College London, there are many factors that make this project costly. "It should be pointed out that this is the first time in the history of nuclear power plant construction, the cost of decommissioning and managing waste is included in the cost of Hinkley Point C , " Britton said.