Project Icebreaker is North America’s first freshwater wind project. Middough will provide engineering services for the design and construction of the land-based electric facilities needed to connect the wind farm to the Cleveland Public Power (CPP) Lake Road substation. This interconnection is a critical component of the project and will enable the delivery of clean wind power to homes and businesses.
“Project Icebreaker is a demonstration project that will put Cleveland on the map as an offshore wind innovation and testing centre where we can learn how to harness this vast wind resource in a cost-competitive and environmentally responsible way” said LEEDCo President Lorry Wagner. “We approached this project with the hope of partnering with local talents and we are very excited to have Middough join our team.”
John M. Alexander, Middough’s Senior Vice President, added that the company is honoured to have been chosen by LEEDCo to provide engineering services for the substation interconnector and that it is confident the project will be a success.
Upon completion of the project, there will be six wind turbines, totalling nearly 21 MW of generating capacity, 8-10 miles off the Cleveland coastline in Lake Erie. The turbines will generate enough electricity to power 6,000 to 10,000 homes. Middough has extensive experience in substation and utility interconnection design and supply, including current substation design activities at the CPP Lake Road substation interconnection site.
According to Dr Wagner, Ohio is the perfect place for offshore wind as the state is not only home to tremendous manufacturing potential but also to some of the nation’s dirtiest air. Increasing its reliance on clean wind energy in Northeast Ohio will create local jobs and reduce air pollution, making Project Icebreaker a win-win for the economy and for the environment.
LEEDCo utilises an innovative foundation design called the Mono Bucket that will support the wind turbines. The design was developed by the Denmark-based Universal Foundation and will reduce installation costs for the project. The Mono Bucket is lighter than LEEDCo’s original concept, requiring significantly less time on the water during construction and reducing environmental disturbance. It can also be fabricated locally.
Currently, the company is in the process of completing its state and federal permit applications, having received a Submerged Lands Lease from the state. Permitting is expected to be complete in 2017 with construction taking place in 2018 at a total cost of about $125 million.
LEEDCo was created in August 2009 by the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force (GLEDTF) and subsequently developed and launched by NorTech Energy Enterprise, the Cleveland Foundation, City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties (Ohio). It was established as a private, non-profit regional corporation to initially erect wind turbines in Lake Erie and eventually help stimulate an entire freshwater offshore wind industry.
Middough Inc has been recognised for its performance and leadership as an international company in engineering, architecture and management services for more than 65 years and operates from major offices in Cleveland, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia and Toledo.
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