Big Island residents are concerned about the Puna Geothermal plant as lava continues to flow. Although the pentane gas was transferred to another site last week, ten wells are still on site. Experts were brought in to help secure the area and the plan is to start plugging those wells tomorrow after they are filled with cold water.
"The danger is gone as long as we maintain the wells killed, however, there is also danger of lava flows going across the top of the well, which now we would no longer have a way to put cold water in the well. So the next step is to put plugs, after the well is killed, to put plugs in the well, above the geothermal resource. At that point, nothing coming up the well is a danger. So at that point we can take precautions to ensure the well is not sheered off at the top," Engineer Tom Travis said.
The last three fissures that have opened recently were all near the Puna Geothermal plant.
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