10 Biggest Megaprojects in The World

Summary

This video explores 10 of the world's most ambitious mega-projects, including the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, and the futuristic 'The Line' in Saudi Arabia. It delves into the challenges faced during construction, such as the Petronas Towers' concrete issue and the labor shortages at Marina Bay Sands. It also touches on the economic and environmental impacts, like the potential of Tesla's gigafactories to revolutionize sustainable energy and the controversies surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Each project is a testament to human ingenuity and ambition, showcasing the scale and scope of modern engineering feats.

Takeaways

• 🏙️ The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004, standing at 1483 feet and featuring the world's highest two-story bridge.
• 🎰 Singapore's Marina Bay Sands is a 3.2 billion dollar integrated resort that includes a hotel, convention center, mall, museum, and casino, and is noted for its Sands Sky Park.
• 🏢 Forest City in Malaysia, envisioned as a luxury living paradise, has become a ghost town with empty high-rises and deserted roads, despite its massive scale and investment.
• 🏗️ Saudi Arabia's NEOM project, known as 'The Line', is a 110-mile long linear city designed to be sustainable and car-free, with a projected cost of 725 billion dollars.
• ⚙️ Elon Musk's gigafactories are envisioned to be sustainable energy powerhouses, with the one in Reno, Nevada, aiming to be the largest structure in the world with a 15 million square feet footprint.
• 🏭 Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia, expanded with Jubail II, is a massive civil engineering project contributing significantly to the country's GDP and housing over 120,000 residents.
• 🏟️ Lusail City in Qatar, built for the 2022 World Cup, includes the largest stadium in the Middle East and is expected to be a major residential and commercial hub.
• 🌊 The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile aims to provide abundant electricity to Ethiopia and potentially export to neighboring countries, despite political disputes.
• ⚡️ Hinckley Point C in the UK is a massive nuclear power plant project with a 25 billion pound budget, designed to provide low carbon energy for 6 million homes.
• 💧 China's South-North Water Transfer Project is an extensive engineering endeavor to divert water from the Yangtze River to arid regions in Northern China, costing 62 billion dollars.

Q & A

What are the 10 megaprojects mentioned in the video?

The video discusses 10 megaprojects: the Petronas Towers, Marina Bay Sands, Forest City in Malaysia, The Line in Saudi Arabia, Tesla Gigafactories, Jubail Industrial City, Lusail City in Qatar, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, and China's South-North Water Transfer Project.

Why are the Petronas Towers significant in architectural history?

The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 at 1,483 feet and remain the tallest twin skyscrapers. They represent a blend of modern architectural design with Islamic influences, a nod to Malaysia's culture and religion.

What was unique about the construction challenges faced by the Petronas Towers?

The project faced a delay due to a bad batch of concrete, which caused concern that the weak concrete had compromised the structure. Luckily, it had only been used on one floor, which was torn down and rebuilt, but the delay cost approximately $700,000 per day.

How did Marina Bay Sands in Singapore come to be one of the most expensive resorts ever built?

Originally estimated to cost $3.2 billion, Marina Bay Sands ended up costing $6.8 billion due to labor shortages and rising material costs. Despite this, it was successfully completed and became a significant landmark with features like a 2,500-room hotel, convention center, casino, and the iconic Sky Park.

What is Forest City, and why is it considered a failed project?

Forest City is a $100 billion luxury city project in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, developed by Country Garden. Initially designed to attract 700,000 residents, it became a ghost town with only a few thousand inhabitants due to high costs and lack of interest.

What makes The Line in Saudi Arabia a unique urban development?

The Line is a $725 billion project in Saudi Arabia that aims to create a 110-mile long, 1,600-foot tall mirrored city. It will be powered entirely by sustainable energy, with no cars and a high-speed train connecting both ends. The city is designed to house 9 million people and be controlled by AI.

What is Elon Musk's vision for Gigafactories, and how far along is the project?

Elon Musk envisions Gigafactories powering the planet with sustainable energy. Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada is set to be the largest structure by footprint once complete. However, it is only 30% finished as of now, with plans for completion and expansion still in progress.

How has Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia contributed to the country's economy?

Jubail Industrial City is the largest industrial city in the world, contributing around 7% of Saudi Arabia's GDP. Its expansion, Jubail 2, aims to double its size and further enhance its role in the global energy market, with completion expected by 2024.

What role did Lusail City play during the 2022 World Cup, and what will it become in the future?

Lusail City hosted the largest stadium for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Once fully developed, it is expected to house 450,000 people, featuring residential, commercial, and retail spaces along with Aqua Tar, the world’s largest water park.

What are the key features of China's South-North Water Transfer Project?

The South-North Water Transfer Project aims to address Northern China's water scarcity by diverting 44.8 billion cubic meters of water annually from the Yangtze River. Spanning three canal systems, the project will take around 100 years to complete and cost over $62 billion.

Outlines

00:00

🌆 Mega Projects: Skyscrapers and Casinos

This paragraph discusses some of the world's most ambitious mega projects, such as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which were the tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004. It also covers the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, a massive casino and entertainment complex that became the most expensive standalone resort property ever built. The paragraph highlights the architectural and cultural significance of these projects, as well as the economic motivations behind them.

05:02

🏙️ Visions of Future Cities and Sustainable Living

The second paragraph delves into futuristic urban developments, including the ambitious Forest City project in Malaysia, which aimed to create a luxury living paradise but currently stands as a largely uninhabited ghost town. It also discusses the 'The Line' project in Saudi Arabia, a 110-mile long linear city designed for sustainable living, and Elon Musk's vision for a world powered by renewable energy through gigafactories, with a focus on the gigafactory in Reno, Nevada.

10:02

🏗️ Industrial Expansion and Technological Advancements

This section covers the expansion of Jubail, an industrial city in Saudi Arabia, which became a significant contributor to the country's GDP and a hub for global energy and technology. It also touches on the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, a project aimed at providing electricity to Ethiopia and neighboring countries, despite concerns over its impact on water availability downstream.

15:03

🌐 Global Energy Projects and Water Management

The final paragraph discusses the Hinckley Point C nuclear power plant in the UK, a project with a massive price tag aimed at expanding the country's low carbon energy production. It also covers the South-North Water Transfer Project in China, an extensive engineering endeavor to divert water from the Yangtze River to alleviate water scarcity in the north, illustrating the challenges and the scale of such mega projects.

Keywords

💡Mega projects

Mega projects refer to large-scale, complex, and often costly undertakings that have significant economic, environmental, or social impacts. In the video, mega projects are the central theme, showcasing ambitious constructions like the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and the Line in Saudi Arabia, which are not only architectural marvels but also symbols of technological advancement and national pride.

💡Sustainable energy

Sustainable energy encompasses renewable sources that meet the present energy needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The video highlights the gigafactory in Nevada, which aims to run entirely on renewable energy, exemplifying the shift towards sustainable practices in mega projects to reduce environmental impact and promote long-term energy security.

💡Gigafactory

A gigafactory is a large-scale, highly automated production facility, particularly for electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy storage solutions. The video mentions Elon Musk's vision for gigafactories as a means to power the world with sustainable energy, illustrating the intersection of industrial innovation and environmental sustainability.

💡Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort in Singapore, featuring a hotel, convention center, mall, museum, and casino. It is highlighted in the video as an example of a mega project that successfully combines entertainment, hospitality, and commercial spaces, contributing to Singapore's tourism and economy.

💡Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa, mentioned in the video, is the world's tallest building, standing at 2,717 feet. It represents the pinnacle of modern skyscraper design and engineering, symbolizing the ambition and progress of Dubai.

💡Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers, also known as the Malaysian Twins, were once the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004. They are highlighted in the video for their architectural significance and as a symbol of Malaysia's economic growth and cultural identity.

💡Neo-M

Neo-M, or 'The Line,' is a proposed city in Saudi Arabia that aims to be a linear, car-free, and sustainable urban development. The video describes it as a futuristic vision of urban living, emphasizing the integration of technology and nature to create a new model for urban sustainability.

💡Lusail City

Lusail City is a planned city in Qatar, mentioned in the video in the context of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It is an example of a mega project designed to house a significant population and provide state-of-the-art facilities, including the largest water park and advanced infrastructure.

💡Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

The GERD, as discussed in the video, is a hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. It is Africa's largest hydropower dam and is intended to provide a substantial source of electricity for Ethiopia and potentially neighboring countries, highlighting the role of mega projects in addressing energy needs and regional development.

💡Hinkley Point C

Hinkley Point C is a nuclear power station project in the UK, as mentioned in the video. It represents a significant investment in nuclear energy, aiming to provide low-carbon electricity for millions of homes, underscoring the role of mega projects in shaping national energy strategies and combating climate change.

💡South-North Water Transfer Project

The South-North Water Transfer Project, as described in the video, is a massive engineering endeavor in China to divert water from the south to the water-scarce north. It exemplifies the scale and complexity of mega projects aimed at addressing water scarcity and improving the quality of life in arid regions.

Highlights

Elon Musk's dream for a world full of sustainable gigafactories.

The 110-mile-long linear city called 'The Line' in Saudi Arabia, part of Vision 2030.

Patronus Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were the tallest buildings in the world between 1998 and 2004.

The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, built by Las Vegas Sands, is the most expensive standalone resort ever built at $6.8 billion USD.

Forest City in Malaysia, a $100 billion luxury city project, remains a ghost town with less than 5% of expected residents.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is the largest hydropower dam in Africa, designed to power Ethiopia and neighboring countries.

Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in the UK, set to provide low-carbon energy for 6 million homes until the 2080s.

Saudi Arabia's Jubail II, the largest industrial city expansion project in the world.

Lusail City in Qatar, built for the 2022 World Cup, will feature the world’s largest water park, Aqua Tar, with the tallest water slide.

The South-North Water Transfer Project in China, which will divert 44.8 billion cubic meters of water annually from the Yangtze River.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, completed in 2010, remains the tallest building in the world at 2,717 feet.

The Marina Bay Sands’ 1,100-foot Skyway connects all three towers, offering an infinity pool with stunning views of the Singapore skyline.

Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada, upon completion, will have the largest footprint of any structure in the world, running entirely on renewable energy.

Lucille Stadium, the largest of its kind in the Middle East, hosted the 2022 World Cup final.

The world's highest two-story bridge connects the 41st and 42nd floors of the Patronus Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

Transcripts

from one of the world's most luxurious

casinos nestled along the Singaporean

coast and Elon musk's dream for a world

full of sustainable gigafactories to a

110 mile long linear City in the middle

of the Saudi desert and the largest

water park ever built home to the

planet's soon-to-be tallest water slide

here are 10 of the biggest Mega projects

in the world

thank you

between 1998 and 2004 the Patronus

Towers in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia were the

tallest buildings in the world at

1483 feet the Malaysian Twins were only

33 feet taller than the Sears Tower in

Chicago which then became the second

tallest building in the world or maybe

the third the Patronus Towers held that

title until the construction of Taipei

101 in Taiwan but then the Burj Khalifa

dwarfed everyone in 2010 standing

2717 feet tall still the Patronus towers

are the tallest twin skyscrapers on

Earth and home to National Petroleum

limited a Malaysian oil and gas company

commonly referred to as Patronus the 1.6

billion dollar Towers also feature the

world's highest two-story bridge between

the 41st and 42nd floors you can head up

to the observation deck on the 86th

floor for an even better view of the

Malaysian Skyline

argentinian-american architect Caesar

Peli went with a distinctive post-modern

style aiming to build a 21st century

icon for Kuala Lumpur Malaysia seeing

how the official Malaysian religion is

Islam Peli combined principles of Muslim

architecture and design to create a

structure that oozed with Malaysian

culture like most Mega projects

construction didn't come without its

hiccups a bad batch of concrete brought

construction to a grinding halt they

were worried the weak concrete had

infected everything they had built so

far luckily Builders only used it on one

floor they tore that floor down rebuilt

and kept moving still the delay caused

the project about 700 thousand dollars

per day

in the mid-2000s Singapore decided it

wanted in on the casino game they just

lifted a 40-year ban on gambling hoping

to bolster tourism and boost their

economy many world famous names competed

for one of two spots names like MGM

mirage and Wynn resorts in the end Las

Vegas Sands which owns the Venetian

Casino Resort in Vegas won the first of

two spots thanks to their vision of a

3.2 billion dollar gambling and

Entertainment District called The Marina

Bay Sands they put up nearly 4 billion

dollars to invest in the project that's

on top of the 1.2 billion dollars paid

for the 6 million square foot site but

thanks to labor shortages and Rising

material prices the total development

cost was estimated at 8 billion

Singaporean dollars as of 2009 or about

6.8 billion US dollars they called it

the most expensive Standalone resort

property ever built but unlike some Mega

project ideas they actually pulled it

off today the Marina Bay Sands Sports a

2 500 room Hotel a 1.3 million square

foot Convention Center a mall a museum

and several celebrity chef restaurants

including two Wolfgang pucks meanwhile

the casino floor is a gambler's Paradise

with 500 tables and 1 600 slot machines

the coup de grace if you will is the

Sands Sky Park a 1100 foot Skyway

connecting all three towers you can dive

into the infinity swimming pool while

enjoying a gorgeous view of the

Singapore Skyline

foreign

billion dollar luxury City a living

Paradise on Earth but as of today Forest

City Malaysia is a ghost town full of

empty roads and deserted high-rises in

2006 a Chinese development firm called

Country Garden announced their plans to

build the massive City it was a 20-year

project set in Johor beru a Malaysian

city north of Singapore according to

Bloomberg the Malay government saw how

successful Singapore was with tourism

and wanted to cash in the original idea

pitched by Malaysia was to build a new

Metropolis near the causeway connecting

Singapore to Malaysia then Country

Gardens stepped in with their 100

billion dollar Forest City idea which

involved building artificial Islands a

few hundred yards off the Singaporean

Coast Country Gardens sold the dream of

luxury apartments hotels offices golf

courses and Tech parks to eager Chinese

investors who sank thousands of dollars

into the soon to be built Apartments

developers anticipated that 700 000

people would quickly move into the new

city as of 2019 only 500 call at home

according to Business Insider the

population has supposedly grown to a few

thousand but it's still less than five

percent of the expected residents so if

you wanted to how much would it cost to

move to Forest City unfortunately prices

have skyrocketed in recent years in 2017

a Forest City Apartment only cost about

170 thousand dollars today they cost

about 1.14 million dollars you're better

off buying in Johor beru where the

average sale price is about a hundred

and forty one thousand dollars and there

are actual Signs of Life

foreign

down the Red Sea between Saudi Arabia

and Egypt when you suddenly see your

reflection along a 110 mile mirror but

wait a minute that's not a mirror

instead it's a 1 600 foot tall 660 foot

wide

110 mile long building and there's

another running parallel on the other

side what you're currently looking at is

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's

neo-m project better known as the line

some may call it the sustainable city of

the future others think it sounds a

little dystopian the 725 Billion Dollar

City will run on nothing but sustainable

energy there won't be any cars either

instead the MBS imagines a high-speed

underground train that can get you from

end to end in 20 minutes flat residents

will enjoy a lush outdoor landscape

between the two mirrored buildings those

buildings idea really will house and

employ about nine million people the

line will also remain under the watchful

gaze of AI MBS says it's to use data

models to find ways to improve the city

but it sounds a little matrixy to us

it's all part of something called Vision

2030 which aims to make the oil-rich

country the world leader in sustainable

Innovation work began on the line in

late 2022 with Drone footage coming out

in October showing what looks like the

initial groundwork according to Saudi

officials you could be living in the

line as soon as 2023 or is it on the

line what about at the line

according to Elon Musk when the

gigafactory in Reno Nevada is complete

it will have the largest footprint of

any structure in the world bigger than

the Great Pyramid the Empire State

Building and the Burj Khalifa counting

multiple levels we're talking about 15

million square feet however every inch

will run on renewable energy now you've

probably seen Elon talking with Leonardo

DiCaprio about the gigafactory and its

environmental impact according to the

Tesla CEO's calculations it would take a

hundred gigafactories worldwide to power

the entire planet with sustainable

energy unfortunately the current

gigafactory in Nevada is about 30

percent complete Tesla finally announced

plans to expand the factory in 2022 but

the full-scale building is still a

distant dream elon's been thinking about

the gigafactory his whole life but

official plans didn't kick off until

2014 when Panasonic agreed to invest in

the 5 billion dollar project with a how

figured out it was time to determine the

where Tesla toured several locations

never once thinking about Northern

Nevada but after a little convincing and

several private trips Tesla finally

settled on the Tahoe Reno Industrial

Center or trick now while the Nevada

Factory is the biggest it's not the only

gigafactory Tesla owns Giga New York

located in Buffalo focuses on Power Pack

batteries and solar panels Giga Texas

the company's newest Factory in Austin

serves as Tesla HQ and acts as an

assembly site for model wise model 3s

cyber trucks and cyber semis two more

gigafactories exist outside the U.S one

in Shanghai China and the other in

Berlin Germany

jubail Saudi Arabia used to be an

ancient fishing Village on the Persian

Gulf it was full of deserted suburbs

until the mid-1970s when an American

engineering company called the Bechtel

Corporation broke ground on the largest

industrial city in the world spanning

more than

687 square miles upon its completion the

new site contributed to about seven

percent of Saudi Arabia's total GDP at

the turn of the Millennia the Saudi

royal family decided to expand

operations in jubail and jubail too was

born considered by many to be the

world's largest civil engineering

project jubail II sought to double the

city's original size the project

provided housing for one hundred and

twenty thousand new residents and built

a brand new 18 000 student University

today jubel is a major player in the

global energy Market attracting the best

and brightest Tech and business Minds

across dozens of countries when it's

done jubail too could make them the

major player during Peak working Seasons

the jubail 2 project employs 20 000

workers per month about four billion

dollars has been invested in

infrastructure which includes hundreds

of miles of Roads water and waste

facilities and utilities another 18

billion dollars will go toward building

the expansion itself in fact the project

is so big that they broke it into four

phases over 22 years the current

timetable has jubail 2 completed by 2024

but we'll see if any pandemic related

setbacks push that completion date off a

bit

foreign

is the second largest city in Qatar if

you watch the 2022 World Cup finals you

might recognize Lucille's Stadium the

largest of its kind in the Middle East

the Qatari government built the Lucille

and seven other stadiums specifically

for the World Cup costing about 6.5

billion dollars some experts estimate

Qatar spent some 200 billion dollars

over 12 years to make the World Cup

happen in the first place not to mention

the countless human rights violations

according to Bloomberg a chunk of that

change went toward building Lucille City

itself a mega project that costs some 45

billion dollars the area was still a

desert when Qatar won the World Cup bid

in 2010. they wanted to have it finished

before the event but according to ESPN

writer Mark Ogden the city feels more

like a dystopian scene straight out of a

Christopher Nolan movie when it's done

Lucille is expected to house about 450

50 000 people including two hundred and

fifty thousand residents a hundred and

ninety thousand office workers and sixty

thousand retail staff members one day

all of them will get to enjoy Aqua tar

the world's largest water park

considered to be the crown jewel of this

artificial City aquitar will feature 36

water slides and attractions alongside a

279-foot tower home to the world's

highest water slide when it's done the

park will cover about 300 000 square

feet they expected it to attract fifty

thousand visitors per day during the

World Cup but you can't ride a

half-built water slide can you

the Blue Nile River one of the two

primary Nile tributaries is a Lifeline

for Northeastern Africa it flows north

from Lake Tana in Ethiopia through Sudan

and into Egypt some 1 600 miles

Downstream in the early 2010s Ethiopia

announced plans to build a 5 billion

dollar Dam on the Blue Nile the project

underwent several name changes at one

time called the Millennium Dam but

Builders finally settled on the grand

Ethiopian Renaissance Dam or gerd in a

nutshell the point of the gerd was to

supply ample electricity to Ethiopia a

country that before gerd saw 60 of its

people living in darkness ideally the

gerd will produce so much power that

Ethiopia can sell electricity to the

surrounding counties like Sudan and

Egypt the dam was supposed to be opened

in 2017 but feuds between Ethiopia Sudan

and Egypt kept stalling the project

Egypt relies heavily on the Nile River

and believes the gerd will significantly

limit the amount of water available by

the time it reaches Cairo Ethiopia says

otherwise while Sudan has been stuck in

the Middle Prime Minister ABI Ahmed Ali

cut the grand opening ribbon that summer

the gerd is officially the largest

hydropower Dam in Africa and ranks among

the top 20 worldwide right up there with

the Three Gorges Dam in China

in January of 2008 the UK decided it was

time to expand its nuclear energy

capabilities after some negotiations and

budgetary conversations the idea for

Hinckley Point C was born joining the

ranks of Hinckley points A and B at the

time Hinckley B was the UK's most

productive nuclear power plant but it

closed in August of 2022 due to old age

thankfully plans for Hinckley Point C

were already underway plans that now

have a 25 billion pound price tag but it

wasn't always that expensive EDF is the

French Energy company spearheading the

project they wanted to have the plant

opened and operational by 2025 but

several setbacks and a global pandemic

kept pushing the completion date

according to the BBC The Limited number

of workers allowed on site during covid

cost the project more than half a

million days of critical work between

2020 and 2021. when it's done and paid

for Hinckley Point sees twin unit

reactor will be able to produce

3260 megawatts of low carbon energy for

the next 60 years by comparison a

typical coal plant only produces 600

megawatts of energy according to EDF

Hinckley Point c will provide enough

clean energy to power 6 million homes

until the 2080s

[Music]

the Yangtze River is the heart and soul

of China nearly one-third of China's

population about 400 million people live

along the River Basin or its tributaries

and rely on it every day but as it

stands Northern China's more

industrialized and arid regions struggle

with dry rivers and restricted access to

water it's been that way for well

forever then in the 1950s Mao Zedong

floated the idea of a massive

engineering project that could solve

China's water problem in a few short

years the idea was to build three Canal

systems one in the East one in the west

and one in the middle of course politics

and controversy kept the project in the

planning phase for about 50 years

construction began in 2003 and it's

expected to take another 50 years to

finish not to mention the 62 billion

dollar price tag fun fact that is more

than twice the cost of the three

gorgeous Dam when it's done the south

north water transfer project will divert

44.8 billion cubic meters of water

annually to drier areas in northern

China it'll also link China's four main

rivers the Yangtze the river the Hawaii

and the heihu if all goes according to

plan water diverted from the Yangtze

River near yangzhou city will travel

east along existing channels to the

weishan mountains of Shandong from there

it'll cross the Yellow River via a

tunnel and flow into Tianjin the central

route will divert water from the Han

River to flow up to Beijing they wanted

this leg finished in time for the 2008

Olympic games but only about a fourth of

the route was built finally the Western

route will divert 4 billion cubic meters

of water from three tributaries along

the Yangtze and send it about 300 miles

across the Bayan kala mountains and into

Northwestern China if you enjoyed this

video and want to see another just like

ticket be sure to click the link on

screen now with that thanks for watching

and be sure to tune in next time

[Music]