Gov. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, has introduced an initiative called the Energy, Jobs and Progress plan, which is intended to ensure predictability of affordable energy prices, create jobs and serve as a catalyst to enhance energy industries in Ohio, according to the governor's office.
Among the plan's components is an energy portfolio standard requiring at least 25% of the electricity sold in Ohio to be generated from ‘advanced energy technology’ by 2025, with no less than half of that energy to be created in Ohio. The governor additionally proposed modernizing the state's electrical infrastructure and adding a market-based pricing option to allow greater consumer choice.
In related news, Strickland has announced grant awards totaling $5 million for the development of two utility-scale wind energy projects in Ohio: the Buckeye Wind project – with a capacity of up to 100 MW – developed by EverPower Renewables in Champaign and Logan counties, and the JW Great Lake's Wood County Wind Farm -with a capacity of up to 49.5 MW – in Wood County. Both projects are likely to use wind turbines containing Ohio-made components, the governor's office notes.
The awardees will receive a payment of $0.01 per kWh for electricity generated, and an additional $0.002 per kWh will be available if the projects use Ohio-manufactured wind turbines. Payments will continue for five years or until the maximum funding award is reached, says the governor's office.
The project awards are the result of the first round of the Ohio Wind Production and Manufacturing Incentive Program administered by the Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Energy Office.
