Lake Michigan Wind Farm Lease Proposal

From oceanaheraldjournal.com

Developer wants counties to co-lease for Lake Michigan wind farm

By John Cavanagh
Herald-Journal Writer

Scandia Wind Offshore CEO Steve Warner wants Oceana and Mason counties to join him when the wind turbine developer goes to the state for a lease for a 1,000 megawatt wind farm in Lake Michigan.

“We are proposing to jointly apply with a riparian (water property) owner for a lease to the State of Michigan.” Warner told the Herald-Journal Dec. 18. “That’s our way of gauging local support of the project, and their voice will be expressed through an agreement like that.”

The company and its Norwegian partner, Havgul Clean Energy, is proposing to construct 100-200 wind turbines to create the wind farm in Lake Michigan from Silver Lake State Park north to Consumer Energy’s Ludington Pumped Storage Facility in Mason County.

The proposal is for the facility to be 3.7 miles off shore at its north end, but closer to shore as it extends south toward Silver Lake State Park. It would connect to the electrical system grid through the Ludington Pumped Storage Facility. Warner said he wants to apply for the lease sometime in the first quarter of 2010.

“The reason for that is this process takes a long time,” Warner said. “It takes years. We’re not in any way trying to accelerate the process.”

Oceana County’s Lake Michigan property includes the Cedar Point County Park between Silver Lake and Pentwater in northern Golden Township. Warner said the company would need to use some property for onshore equipment such as substations depending if the pumped storage facility is involved, but no property in Oceana County is under consideration now.