Applications from Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) for two new geothermal wells have been approved, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) confirmed Wednesday.
According to a DLNR spokesman, one permit was approved on Aug. 9. The second permit was approved Monday. Drilling can start drilling Sept. 20. The permits required approval from DLNR Chairwoman Suzanne Case.
But permit approval doesn’t mean that work on new wells will necessarily commence. The applications were a contingency as PGV assessed wells covered by lava during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea volcano.
Mike Kaleikini, PGV’s senior director of Hawaii affairs, said Wednesday the new wells are still under consideration.
