The Lake Erie Development Corp. (LEEDCo) says it will use a 90-foot jack-up barge to perform soil borings and geophysical analyses of the lake bed for the future sight of Icebreaker, a freshwater offshore wind project located off the coast of Cleveland.
On May 4, LEEDCo will unload a drill onto the barge, which will then head seven miles out into Lake Erie, where LEEDCo plans to erect five to nine 3 MW wind turbines in 2016. LEEDCo says the work will be performed for about one week.Â
According to LEEDCo, the borings will be used to complete a soil profile of the lake bed in order to tailor project construction plans to the Lake Erie environment.Â
LEEDCo has already received a critical round of investment and is competing with six other offshore wind projects for additional federal investment. This geotechnical work represents a significant milestone for Icebreaker and will help the project stand out against its competition, the developer notes.
