The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a Section 401 water quality certificate of approval to Icebreaker Windpower Inc., confirming that the Icebreaker offshore wind project in the Lake Erie complies with federal standards relating to water pollution.
The Ohio EPA has been delegated the authority to administer and enforce the federal Clean Water Act. The Ohio EPA issues water quality certificates when it finds that a project will not impair water quality within the state.
“This is another, important step forward for Icebreaker,” said Beth Nagusky , Director of Sustainable Development for the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo).
“This project continues to be rigorously and thoroughly vetted by numerous state and federal agencies that examine the impacts and benefits of Icebreaker. The Ohio EPA water quality certificate means that Icebreaker will meet federal clean water standards as long as the recommended safeguards are followed during construction and operation.”
The six-turbine Icebreaker project – to be located eight miles off of the coast of downtown Cleveland – must earn approvals and/or permits from 14 local, state and federal agencies.
Earlier this month the project earned conditional approval from the staff of the Ohio Power Siting Board.
“Our approach has been and will continue to be methodical,” Nagusky said. “This project represents the kind of innovation that will help earn Greater Cleveland and all of Ohio an international reputation for taking action toward clean energy and reducing the risk of climate change. This project represents the first step toward realizing the substantial potential of making our region a national hub for wind energy.”
Icebreaker Windpower is proposing to construct the 20.7MW wind farm which would consist of six MHI Vestas V126-3.45 MW wind turbine generators installed on mono bucket foundations.
Icebreaker would be the first freshwater wind energy installation in North America with the construction expected to start by 2021.