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| Lava flanks Puna Geothermal Venture on June 3, 2018, in lower Puna. (HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald) |
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is reviewing applications for two new geothermal wells at Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV).
The applications were filed March 1, the department confirmed, and come as PGV moves to resume operations after being isolated by last year’s Kilauea eruption. The permits require approval from DLNR Chairwoman Suzanne Case.
Mike Kaleikini, PGV’s senior director of Hawaii affairs, said the 38-megawatt geothermal power plant still is assessing wells that were covered by lava or plugged during the eruption. He described the applications as a contingency.
He said DLNR has to approve reuse of existing wells and permits for new well construction. Permits for new wells would be good for one year.
PGV, which aims to restart operations by the end of the year, is allowed to build as many as 28 wells under a plan of operation approved in 2006. It currently has 11 wells — five for injection and six for production — that range in depths of 4,000 feet and 8,000 feet.
