Icebreaker Windpower Inc. has filed an application for a certificate to construct the 20.7MW Icebreaker offshore wind farm in Lake Erie with the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB).
The application for a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need was officially submitted on 1 February 2017, and it is anticipated that the certificate will be issued in 2017, OPSB said.
The developer is proposing to construct a wind farm in Lake Erie, which would consist of six MHI Vestas V126-3.45 MW wind turbine generators installed on mono bucket foundations some 8-10 miles off the Cleveland coastline, along with submerged electric collection cables, and a facility substation.
The energy generated at the wind farm will deliver power to a single point of interconnection on the existing Cleveland Public Power (CPP) electric grid – 138 kilovolt (kV) Lake Road Substation.
Construction is anticipated to begin in May 2018 and be completed by October 2018. The wind farm is expected to be commissioned by November 2018.
The original developer of the Icebreaker Wind project was the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo).
LEEDCo is a non-profit corporation that received funding from, among other entities, the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its U.S. Offshore Wind: Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects program.
DOE has provided over USD 10 million in funding to advance the Icebreaker demonstration project, with a commitment to provide an additional USD 40 million if certain milestones are met.
In 2016, LEEDCo partnered with Fred. Olsen Renewables (FOR) of Norway. FOR has established FORUSA and Icebreaker Windpower Inc. to be the owner, developer, and operator of Icebreaker Wind.
FORUSA may be interested in future offshore wind projects in the Great Lakes, OPSB said.