The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) has formally adopted an oral motion – that was unanimously approved – which removes a requirement that Icebreaker Windpower Inc. must completely feather wind turbines, stopping them from rotating, during nighttime hours from March 1 through Nov. 1.
The board order on rehearing grants in part, and denies, in part, the application for rehearing filed in this proceeding by Icebreaker and denies applications for rehearing filed by other parties to the case.
If constructed, the Icebreaker project will consist of six wind turbines located 8 to 10 miles off the shore of Cleveland in Lake Erie. Each of the turbines will have a nameplate generating capacity rating of 3.45 MW, creating a combined capacity of up to 20.7 MW.
Icebreaker must comply with 33 conditions before, during and after the construction of the project, as well as during facility operation. Among these conditions, Icebreaker must conduct radar studies and, based on these studies, provide the board with a bird and bat impact mitigation plan. The board must approve, through a public and transparent process, a final bird and bat risk mitigation protocol prior to the start of construction.
In a May decision, the board approved and modified an agreement signed by parties, including Icebreaker, the Business Network for Offshore Wind, the Sierra Club, the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters, the Ohio Environmental Council and board staff. Following this decision, several parties filed applications for rehearing. On Sept. 17, the board orally approved a motion to remove the feathering modification contained in its May 21, opinion, order and certificate. The recent order on rehearing is consistent with that motion.
Additional information about the Icebreaker project, including the board’s order on rehearing in case number 16-1871-EL-BGN, are available here.
Photo: Icebreaker Windpower’s proposed project map
