In fact there are three developers that are coming together under the name Great Lakes Ohio Wind or GLOW. It's comprised of California-based Bechtel, Texas-based Cavallo Energy and Ohio-based Great Lakes Wind Energy. Chris Wissemann is managing director of Great Lakes Wind Energy. He says it's taking three companies to make this project happen because of its complexity.
Wissemann: "This is a precedent setting project so what we looked at among the three of us is what disciplines it takes to really deliver something like this. There are development activities, permitting, financing. There are engineering, procurement and construction activities. So each of us brings a strong suit."
The initial phase of the project calls for the construction of a handful of turbines five to ten miles off the coast. By 2020 they hope to have more than 200 turbines stretching from Lorain to Ashtabula. For those pushing the offshore wind project, the main selling point is the jobs the industry is likely to bring. According to one economic impact study, just the pilot project is expected to create more than 600 jobs. LEEDCo is the nonprofit overseeing the effort. President Lorry Wagner says it's important that Cleveland be the first in the U.S. to get off the ground.
Wagner: "What has been demonstrated in Europe and will be demonstrated in China is that when off shore wind comes to a region it brings with it a tremendous amount of jobs because these things beg to be built right near where they're being erected."
Construction on the pilot project is expected to begin in late 2012.