Nikita Patil, Project Xylem

At the end of their life, offshore oil rigs are decommissioned using an expensive and environmentally damaging process. Studies have shown that about 30% of coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico have formed below oil rigs, so dismantling them destroys these ecosystems while scrapping the metal and infrastructure on top. Recently, sustainably repurposing rigs has become more common, from Rigs to Reefs in the US to SpaceX’s launch site and Saudi Arabia’s amusement park. This is fragmented however, full of regional and policy complications, and misses the opportunity to solve local problems. We want to repurpose rigs more systematically, starting with the Middle East where we will reuse the existing technology to build hydroponic farms. These farms will help the local problem of food insecurity and save the reefs under the rigs.