Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) has been given the go-ahead to restore road access to its lava-locked property.
Clearing of the “pioneer road” at the site off Highway 132 began this weekend after PGV received a grubbing and grading permit from Hawaii County, said Mike Kaleikini, senior director of Hawaiian affairs for Ormat Technologies, which owns the 38-megawatt geothermal power plant.
The permit was authorized after Mayor Harry Kim issued a supplemental disaster declaration that allows the county to permit clearing of the fresh lava rock.
The main lava channel from the four-month-long eruption crosses the property but spared the plant, which is sandwiched between the channel and a string of fissures.
As for when PGV could restart operations, Kaleikini said that will depend on assessments that have been mostly on hold without road access. He previously said that could take about 18 months from when a road could be built.
