CLEVELAND- Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason announced that the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force (Task Force), under the authority of the Cuyahoga County, Ohio Board of County Commissioners has been authorized to solicit proposals from agencies and organizations interested in providing Avian and Bat ecological studies. The studies supplement the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force Feasibility Study for an early stage commercial deployment project consisting of up to eight (8) turbines with total rated capacity at 20 MW for a Lake Erie Wind Power Project near the water intake crib of the City of Cleveland,
Ohio.
The Request for Proposal (RFP) specification for the Avian and Bat Studies for the Lake Erie Wind Project can be can be obtained by contacting the Cuyahoga County Office of Procurement and Diversity 112 Hamilton Court, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, (216) 443-7200. Completed proposals must be submitted to the Cuyahoga County Office of Procurement and Diversity, no later than 11:00 a.m. on February 22, 2010. Responses will be reviewed for qualifications based on responsiveness to the RFP specifications, expertise, experience, and cost effectiveness. A review committee comprised of members of the Task Force will examine qualifications requiring clarification, and may invite qualified Project Management teams for interviews. The project will commence April 1, 2010.
The envisioned wind turbine project is described in more detail in the Task Force’s May 1, 2009, Feasibility Study, which is available at:
http://development.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_development/en-US/GLWEC_Final%20Feasibility%20Report_4-28-09.pdf
The envisioned Avian Species Study will build upon the avian risk assessment conducted by Curry and Kerlinger contained within the Feasibility Study by performing a marine radar study and acoustic monitoring for bat populations. The original risk assessment concluded that the project should not pose a significant risk to wildlife. The studies envisioned by the Request for Proposal will supplement that study with more robust data from the project area near the water intake crib for the City of Cleveland three and a half miles off Cleveland harbor. These pre-construction studies will be conducted during the spring and fall of 2010 so that the project can proceed to construction as soon as possible. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service collaborated with the Task Force to design the scope of the study.
“This RFP is another step in a responsible, comprehensive approach to building the first, fresh water wind turbine project in the world,” said Bill Mason, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor and Chair of the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force. “This initial commercialization project will serve as a template to facilitate the future deployment of wind turbines in the Great Lakes, which would provide a secure, clean source of energy for our area and create jobs and investment for the region.”
Mason continued, “Although the benefits from the project are promising, we also recognize that there are many issues that must be addressed before the project can be financed and constructed. One area of importance will be to study the impact of wind turbines on Lake Erie’s ecology, including birds and bats and their migratory patterns in Northeast Ohio. That is why we are seeking qualified professional advisors with this Request for Proposal.”
For further information, please contact: Steve Dever, Executive Director, Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force, Office of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, 1200 Ontario Street, 9th Floor Justice Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44113, (216) 443-7817.
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Source: Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force of Cuyahoga County
