Description
The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) has proposed developing Icebreaker Wind, the first freshwater offshore wind farm in North America. The 20.7 MW wind farm would occupy a lease area of ~10 km2 and consist of 6 V126-3.45MW wind turbines.
Legal challenges and concerns around risks to birds slowed project progress. The project was initially approved, but with restrictions that included shutting down the turbines every night for two-thirds of the year to protect migratory birds. On May 21, 2022 Green Energy Ohio the Ohio Power Siting Board removed the nighttime “feathering” requirement from their order on Icebreaker Windpower. GEO denounced the initial decision as containing a “poison pill” intended to undermine the financial viability of the project. The unanimous vote on the amendment allowed Icebreaker to move forward toward final approval. On August 10, 2022, in a 6-1 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in favor of Icebreaker Wind, affirming that the state permit was correctly granted, allowing the project to move forward.
However, the project has since been halted with no plans to continue development announced as of 2023.
Location
Icebreaker Wind will be located 12.8 km off the coast of Cleveland, Ohio (USA) in Lake Erie. It will have a grid connection point of Cleveland Public Power, Lake Road Substation in Cleveland.
Licensing Information
- July 2018: OEPA 401 Water Quality Certification Approved
- March 2018: ODNR Coastal Zone Consistency Permit Approved
- September 2017: USACE Section 408 Permit to Alter, Impact, or Encroach upon a Federal Navigation Project Approved
- August 2017: US Army Corps Permits Submitted
- February 2017: FAA Determination of No Hazard Approved
Project Timeline
- December 2023: Project halted
- August 2022: Ohio Supreme Court ruled in favor of Icebreaker Wind affirming the state permit was correctly granted
- February 2017: Icebreaker Windpower Inc Submitted Consent Application
- July 2016: Offtake Conditionally Secured
- August 2012: US DOE Award
- August 2012: Interconnection Application Submitted
- January 2011: Site Exclusivity Obtained
Key Environmental Issues
Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a final Environmental Assessment (EA) for Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation's Project Icebreaker, an Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration Project, Offshore Cleveland, Ohio, in Lake Erie (DOE/EA-2045). The final EA identifies and analyzes the potential impacts to the human environment that would occur if DOE authorized the expenditure of federal funding in support of Project Icebreaker. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard were cooperating agencies in the preparation of the final EA.
DOE has also issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the proposed action. An environmental impact statement will not be prepared.
Metadata Documents
Environmental Papers and Reports
- Final Environmental Assessment LEEDCo Project Icebreaker Lake Erie, City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Parker et al. 2018)
- Appendix M-1 Biological Assessment for Project Icebreaker (EDR 2018)
- Icebreaker Wind Aerial Survey Waterbird Report (Stucker et al. 2018)
- Appendix L-2 WEST Bird and Bat Annual Report 2018 (Gordon et al. 2018)
- Appendix E-2 LimnoTech Report - Results of 2017 Aquatic Sampling (LimnoTech 2018)
- Appendix E-1 LimnoTech Report - Results of 2016 Aquatic Sampling (LimnoTech 2017)
- Appendix I Aquatic Ecological Resource Characterization and Impact Assessment (LimnoTech 2017)
- Appendix J WEST NEXRAD Analysis: Assessment of Nocturnal Bird Migration Activity from Weather Radar Data for the Proposed Icebreaker Wind Energy Facility, Lake Erie, Ohio (Nations and Gordon 2017)
- Lake Erie Monitoring Plan for the Offshore Wind Project: Icebreaker Wind (LimnoTech 2017)
- Appendix L-1 WEST Summary of Risks to Birds and Bats (Gordon and Erickson 2016)
- Project Icebreaker Bird and Bat Risk Analysis (Gordon and Erickson 2016)
- Quarterly Report for Aquatic Sampling: Project Icebreaker Pre-Construction Monitoring 3rd Quarter (Verhamme et al. 2016)
- Quarterly Report for Aquatic Sampling: Project Icebreaker Pre-Construction Monitoring 2nd Quarter (Verhamme and Daley 2016)
- Appendix O Summary of Current Information Related to Electromagnetic Field Impacts on Fish and LEEDCo Proposed Transmission Cable (Verhamme et al. 2016)
- Appendix K Tetra Tech Bird Survey Report: Spring - Fall 2010 Avian and Bat Studies Report Lake Erie Wind Power Study (Svedlow et al. 2012)
Environmental Monitoring: Icebreaker Wind
| Phase | Stressor & Receptor | Design and Methods | Results | Publications | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Bats, Birds | Bat and Bird Surveys Region-wide next-generation radar analysis was used to assess nocturnal bird and bat migration for spring and fall migratory periods. Aerial avian surveys were conducted over a 2-year period over a large portion of the southcentral Lake Erie basin (includes LEEDCo Icebreaker Wind project area). Boat-based avian visual observation surveys were conducted during the spring and fall 2010 migration periods. A 2017-2018 aerial waterfowl and waterbird survey was conducted. Acoustic bat surveys at land-based (2010) and offshore (2017) locations. | Complete Aerial survey data suggested the only species that may occur in the vicinity of the project area on a consistent basis are: redbreasted merganser, common loon, horned grebe, Bonaparte’s gull, ring-billed, and herring gull. In 2010 onshore surveys, five bat species were detected, including: hoary bat, silver-haired bat, big brown bat, eastern red bat, and little brown bat. In 2017 offshore surveys, the most commonly identified bat species were: Eastern red bat, hoary bat, and silver-haired bats. | EDR 2018, Gordon et al. 2018, Gordon and Erickson 2016, Svedlow et al. 2012, Nations and Gordon 2017, Parker et al. 2018, Stucker et al. 2018 | No data publicly available |
| Baseline | Fish | Fish Survey In 2016, fish surveys were conducted to identify larval and juvenile fish present near the proposed turbine sites. Larval fish were sampled once monthly in May, June, and July of 2016 at three locations. Larval fish were also sampled in 2017. Hydroacoustic monitoring was performed monthly in May through October 2016. | Complete
Overall, across all 29 trawls conducted near the proposed turbine sites in 2016, only five larval fish were collected. There were no larval fish collected in May 2017, four larval fish collected in June, and three in July. Overall, across all 27 trawls, only seven fish were collected. 2016-17 juvenile fish sampling results: primarily white perch, yellow perch, and rainbow smelt, while walleye, goby, and emerald shiner were collected in low numbers. |
Verhamme et al. 2016, LimnoTech 2018, LimnoTech 2017, Parker et al. 2018 | No data publicly available |
| Baseline | Invertebrates | Benthic Macroinvertebrate Survey Benthic samples were collected by LimnoTech in conjunction with zooplankton and phytoplankton sampling at three locations (two proposed turbine locations and one reference location) once in May 2016 and once in October 2016. Additional benthos samples were collected in May and October 2017. | Complete All benthos collected in May 2016 fell into three main classes: Bivalvia (aquatic mollusks with a hinged shell such as mussels), Insecta (insects), and Oligochaeta (worms). Most benthos collected in October 2016 fell into the same three groups, though a few crustaceans and nematodes (roundworms) were also collected. The benthos collected in 2017 were consistent with the 2016 samples. | Parker et al. 2018 | No data publicly available |
| Operations | Displacement Fish |
Fish Monitoring Plan This plan is designed to collect physical, nutrient, and biological data at the Icebreaker Wind project site (and relevant reference sites) prior, during, and after construction activities. Survey methods to be used include: hydroacoustic, acoustic telemetry, fixed acoustic, noise assessment, aerial surveys, and substrate mapping. | Planned Results pending | LimnoTech 2017 | No data publicly available |