Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) and Freshwater Wind, have signed an option with the State of Ohio to lease specified acreage for an initial offshore wind project in Lake Erie.
The signed lease option provides LEEDCo and Freshwater Wind the exclusive right for up to four years to apply for and negotiate a final submerged land lease for the planned site of the initial wind project, approximately seven miles northwest of Cleveland Browns Stadium.
LEEDCo and Freshwater Wind anticipate to install five wind turbines at the proposed site beginning late 2012 in an initial project of approximately 20MW of electric generating capacity.
By 2020, LEEDCo aims to see 1,000MW of offshore wind energy installed in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie.
LEEDCo president Dr Lorry Wagner said that the signed lease option brings the project one step closer to making offshore wind in Lake Erie a reality, and demonstrates that Ohio is in a leading position to develop the Great Lakes offshore wind market and bring thousands of jobs to the region.