Of late, the Gulf region has been awash with hundreds of construction projects, ranging from leisure resorts and iconic developments to massive oil and gas ventures designed to make the GCC a centre for upstream and downstream products.

With rising costs all round, it has become imperative for developers to ensure that structures do not deteriorate prematurely. One of the biggest threats to reinforced concrete structures is corrosion. In the US alone, corrosion accounts for an estimated annual direct cost of a staggering $276 billion – approximately 3.1 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The GCC region, with an environment that is extremely aggressive, with high temperatures, high humidity and high water tables, is not insulated from the effects of corrosion either. To make things worse, many of the projects under development are located close to the coast or constructed on re-claimed land. This means that traditional methods of protecting steel in a given structure needs to be given serious consideration.
About 100 years ago, the corrosion of steel was mitigated by coupling steel with another more active metal, such as zinc or aluminium. This was found to work so effectively that ever since then all steel ships were fitted with these metals. This protection method is known as cathodic protection.
Ever since, the technology has progressed significantly, and about 30 years ago, the same concept was applied on a heavily corroding reinforced concrete bridge in California. The results were successful (the system still continues to operate and provide corrosion protection), and ever since, the use of cathodic protection to protect corroding and aging structures has become more common in countries with aging reinforced concrete infrastructure.
Here in the GCC, we have a different scenario. Most of the infrastructure is being built as this article is being written. Fortunately, as more practitioners and structural designers become aware of the technology, it is being specified as a requirement – commonly for structures requiring a service life in excess of 50 years or structures located in extremely aggressive environments. Typically, cathodic protection is being specified for foundation piles and pile caps, marina and quay walls as well as steel sheet piling. One of the strengths of cathodic protection is that it confers comprehensive corrosion protection of the steel for a specified period. It also offers a quantifiable method of measuring if that protection is being achieved or not. Other protection strategies focus on delaying the onset of corrosion, while at the same time not offering a method of determining if the delay is indeed occurring. Cathodic protection tackles corrosion head on by essentially making it impossible for the corrosion reaction to occur. In addition, cathodic protection systems employ probes and sensors that indicate if your structure is indeed being protected from corrosion. Cathodic protection systems can be designed with a range of service life – anywhere from 20 years up to 100 years.
On the other side of the coin, there seems to be mass indifference to the technology. A survey after a seminar to structural consultants indicated that less than 20 per cent of the respondents heard about cathodic protection. Compounding this issue is that owners do not see, nor are they sometimes fully informed, about the long term benefits of a cathodic protection system being used to protect their structure. Both these issues combine to result in a mass of structures being built that do not incorporate a cathodic protection system, despite being a perfect candidate.
The concept and technology of cathodic protection has history to support it. These systems are easy to install and can be operational even during construction. They are comparable in cost (and sometimes more economical) than typical corrosion protection strategies.
The task at hand is to ensure that the structures being built today do not become the next generation’s headache. The challenge is for owners and engineers not to focus on the immediate gains or savings but rather to focus on strategies and methods that guarantee effective and long term corrosion protection, while at the same time adding value to the investment being made.

* Hassan Sheikh is a senior specialist at Al Jazira Technical Systems and is certified cathodic protection specialist and chemical engineer, who has worked in corrosion control in the Middle East for the last decade.