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OPSB removes Icebreaker's project killing condition

4C Offshore | Tom Russell
By: Tom Russell 09/10/2020 OPSB
The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) formally adopted an oral motion that was unanimously approved during its Sept. 17, 2020 meeting, removing a requirement that the Icebreaker offshore wind farm adhere to night time shutdown rules.

The requirement mandated that the project must completely feather wind turbines, stopping them from rotating, during night time hours from March 1 through November 1. This requirement was included in the OPSB's approval of the project back in May which included 33 conditions to move forward. LEEDCo argued that the mandatory shutdown rendered the project financially untenable.

With the OPSB formally removing the shutdown requirement,
Icebreaker must still comply with 33 conditions before, during and after construction of the project, as well as during facility operation. Among these conditions, Icebreaker must conduct radar studies, and, based on these studies, provide the Board with a bird and bat impact mitigation plan. The Board must approve, through a public and transparent process, a final bird and bat risk mitigation protocol prior to the start of construction.

LEEDCo has been planning the
Icebreaker project for more than 11 years. It is poised to be the first freshwater offshore wind energy installation in North America, and is to be located eight miles off the coast of downtown Cleveland. The project is to consist of six MHI Vestas 3.45 MW turbines with mono bucket foundations on Lake Erie, 8-10 miles off the shores of Cleveland. An 11.8 mile-long subsea cable route will connect to the Cleveland Public Power's onshore Lake Road 138 kV substation.

LEEDCo claims that the project could create more than 500 jobs and generate $253 million in economic impact during construction and throughout its lifetime.

For more information about offshore wind farms worldwide,
click here. Alternatively, you can view projects across the globe using 4C Offshore's interactive map.

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