Controversy Over Economic Benefit of Building the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Farm
December 16, 2010 Kyriaki (Sandy) Venetis 
Netherlands Offshore wind farm. Photo courtesy of knowledge.allianz.com.
Depending on what side your on, the evolving plans for an offshore wind farm in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie are either an economic boom for the state or a disaster that will cost taxpayers billions. The inital project will be a five-turbine, 20 megawatt pilot wind farm that will be five-to-ten miles offshore of Cleveland. Construction on the initial phases is tentatively scheduled to be completed by late 2012. General Electric has committed to providing the wind turbines and maintenance service for the initial 20-megawatt wind farm. After completion, it’s expected to be followed by subsequent projects with a long-term goal of 1,000 megawatts in the Ohio waters by 2020. The Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. (LEEDCo) believes the economics of scale will reduce energy costs. “We aim to develop a cost-effective approach for installing and maintaining offshore wind turbines,” said Dr. Lorry Wagner, the company’s president. “We’re confident that working with GE, our combined efforts will be able to promote a self-sustaining and growing market for offshore wind in Lake Erie. We know that it will provide a lot of economic opportunity and emissions-free energy for northern Ohio,” she added. Not everyone agrees with this assessment. Mary McCleary, an analyst with the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, warns that, “Financially, the wind turbines are a bad proposition for Ohio.”