Ohio signs lease option for 20MW Lake Erie project

UNITED STATES: Ohio has granted permission to the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) for a lease option that could result in a 20MW project in Lake Erie by 2016

by Ros Davidson 10 January 2011

Offshore potential. The Great Lakes
The go-ahead was signed by outgoing Ohio governor Ted Strickland, an ardent supporter of the project, on his final day in office.

LEEDCo’s project, if it proceeds on schedule with construction starting in 2014, could become North America’s first fresh-water offshore wind farm.

The is slated to use five 4MW GE direct-drive turbines six miles offshore near Cleveland.

The option gives LEEDCo, with its project builder, Fresh Water Wind I, exclusive rights to 5,700 acres of lake-bed owned by the state.

The companies have already started studying the project’s potential impact on fish spawning, bats and birds.

To get the lease option renewed, the developers will have to prove the project is feasible, obtain building permits from the state and federal government, and apply for a long-term lease, said local media.

Renewal of the lease, is dependent on the project being in service by September 2016.