Atlantropa united a technological utopia with political visions of reform. The German architect Sörgel proposed building a giant dam across the Strait of Gibraltar to create the largest hydroelectric facility in the world and solve all of Europe's energy problems. The consequences of this large-scale project would have included serious ecological damage and environmental disasters. With the emergence of nuclear energy, which also appeared to offer a solution to the energy problem, this scheme was eventually abandoned. However, other gigantic dam projects have since been carried out around the world.