Humankind’s ingenuity continues. Thunder Horse is the world’s largest semi-submersible structure. It sucks up oil and natural gas from natural reservoirs 8000 metres beneath its platform. It cost about $5 billion US and has a projected lifetime of 25 years.

A projected daily capacity of 250 000 barrels of oil and 200 million cubic feet of natural gas amounts to a lifetime energy retrieval of 1.6e19 Joules; about 2 weeks worth at our current global consumption.

This is a one time shot, the natural resources will not replenish. After 25 years, the reserves are consumed, forever. Are we making the best use of this energy store? Do we even know where this energy will go?

photo-© BP p.l.c.