CLEVELAND — While Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest single investment in clean energy, there is a major wind energy project in Northeast Ohio that is still in the planning stages.
It was 2008 when studies first showed that wind turbines could be used in Lake Erie to harness the energy of the winds blowing across it. A year later, LEEDCo, the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation, was formed, and plans for the Icebreaker Wind project were set into motion. Their plan was to put six massive wind turbines 8-to-10 miles north of Browns Stadium, out of the shipping lanes and beyond most recreational use, that would be able to power about 7,000 homes.
When News 5 first reported on it in 2010, those behind the plan knew not everyone would be on board.
"We can't be discouraged by obstacles, we can accomplish this, we got a great team, we're ready to go," said former LEEDCo President Dave Karpinski.
But what they would soon face were more than a decade of obstacles in the form of court challenges and environmental studies related to the threat the turbines might pose to migrating birds, bats and other wildlife in the lake. There was opposition from groups who worried the six turbines would one day turn into thousands, posing a threat to our water supply. But a year ago this week, the last obstacle was removed when the Ohio Supreme Court ruled against what was the last legal challenge to the project.
LEEDCco Board Member and Cleveland Port President Will Friedman told News 5 at the time that despite the delays, Cleveland could still be at the forefront of the offshore wind boom.
"Which is happening all over the world, it's happening on the East Coast, and we can be the center of it for the Great Lakes if we can move the project forward," he said.
"If" being the operative word. A year later, the project is still on the table but not in construction. LEEDCo told News 5 in a statement that "while the Supreme Court case was a huge victory for the project, delays created by the lawsuit and opponents have impacted the project. LEEDCo is currently evaluating the costs and potential of the project, and discussing our options."
As they were 15 years ago, opinions on lake windmills are split. Carmen Suderow of Cleveland says they just make sense.
"It's a perfect place because there is so much wind, and that's going to make the turbines to go around, around, around."
But Adrian Thomas said he's a hard "no" for this reason.
"Clutter, you know, I think we all have a little bit too much clutter. I mean, you have all of that over here with the buildings, then you have just a nice landscape of sea right here. And I think you need a nice balance between the two, so I think windmills will kind of throw it off a little bit."
