Construction
Martin on Apr 12th 2008
Building offshore is always hazardous. Part of the problem comes from the competing desires of the engineer to maximize safety and the businessman who wants to cut costs. Generally, the more robust an offshore structure the more it costs. All offshore buildings that have been destroyed have been under-engineered, either because the theory about possible wave action was wrong or because business tried to minimize the reality of the forces they were dealing with.
The construction of even a small Tidal Irrigation System will be a huge investment of planning and resources. The structure will need to withstand forces of one hundred tons per square meter. It will need to be designed with local conditions in mind which means that some sections can be dredged while others may need to be composed of prefabricated reinforced concrete. New techniques may need to be developed when deploying such large structures offshore due to the interaction of tidal streams and previously laid sections.
However, none of these challenges are beyond our current technology or engineering. The reason why it has never been done before is only because there has never before been a reason to do it.