Division I regional track finals
Fenwick graduation 2012
Ponitz graduation 2012
Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2010 > May > 24
Monday, May 24, 2010
Strickland praises big wind farm project for Lake Erie
Gov. Ted Strickland on Monday, May 24, praised plans to develop the first fresh water offshore wind farm in North America.
The project is a partnership between General Electric and the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation, according to a press release from Strickland’s office.
“Ohio’s greatest potential for creating wind energy is offshore in Lake Erie and this partnership marks a significant step forward,” Strickland said in the press release.
“Offshore wind has the potential to create thousands of new jobs in Ohio and become a major source of economic growth,” Vic Abate, vice president of GE’s renewable energy business, said in the release.
The announcement comes with the Ohio House and Senate still trying to come to agreement on legislation aimed at providing tax breaks for wind and other renewable energy projects in the state.
The Republican-controlled Senate last week approved Senate Bill 232 but the House still has not acted on similar legislation.
The Senate bill would set up a new taxing system for projects in operation by 2013. Instead of paying property tax, including the tangible personal property tax on equipment and machinery, companies would pay an annual fee of $7,000 per megawatt for the life of the facility. This is comparable to fees in neighboring states, said Sen. Chris Widener, R-Springfield, the sponsor.
GE has pledged to providing offshore wind turbines and maintenance services for an initial 20-megawatt wind farm, the release said.
Completion is targeted for 2012, according to the release. The project would be located off the shores of Lake Erie near Cleveland. It would be followed by more projects with a long-term goal of 1,000 megawatts in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie by 2020, the release said.
The project needs the approval of the Ohio Power Siting Board, said Amanda Wurst, Strickland’s spokeswoman.
