Puna Geothermal back in action more than 2 years after Kilauea eruption

A volcano on Hawaii island that partially destroyed a power plant more than two years ago is back to producing electricity at the facility.

The owner of the Puna Geothermal Venture plant announced Thursday that it resumed electricity generation on the island Nov. 5, starting with a small amount projected to rise to full capacity by the middle of next year.

Ormat Technologies Inc. said its Puna plant is delivering 1 to 2 megawatts of energy to the electrical grid and that production should rise to 15 megawatts by the end of this year after an additional production well is connected.

The plant, which is powered by geothermal gas from Kilauea Volcano, had been producing 38 megawatts before lava began flowing from Kilauea in Puna in May 2018.

Shortly after the eruption started, lava covered three of several geothermal wellheads as well as monitoring wells, an electrical substation and a drilling rig. The eruption, which lasted five months while claiming roughly 700 homes, farms and scenic recreational areas, also cut off road access to the Puna Geothermal plant and burned down transmission lines.

Repairing the power plant and infrastructure has taken longer than anticipated, and a prior expectation to resume power production by the end of last year was not met. This year, restoration work was further delayed by COVID-19.

Ormat, which is based in Nevada, said it closely worked with Hawaiian Electric to navigate challenges imposed by the pandemic.

“I truly appreciate the dedication and hard work of the Ormat team over the last two and a half years,” Doron Blachar, Ormat CEO, said in a statement. “While the ramp to full capacity is taking slightly longer than we recently anticipated, I believe that we will be able to bring Puna back to normal operation during 2021.”

Puna Geothermal began operating in 1992 and has long been opposed by many nearby residents, in part because of concerns over potential release of hydrogen sulfide and other potentially dangerous volcanic gases.

Electricity from the plant is a significant component of renewable energy production on Hawaii island, and represents a firm source during normal operations compared with variable renewable energy sources such as the sun and wind.

Hawaiian Electric said Puna Geothermal previously helped Hawaii island produce a bigger share of renewable energy than any other island in the state, at 60%. Last year without the geothermal plant, the figure was 35%, the utility company said.

Hawaiian Electric expects to reduce its use of fossil fuels to generate electricity on Hawaii island as Puna Geothermal increases power production.

Utility customers, however, shouldn’t expect any immediate cost benefit, according to Hawaiian Electric, because oil prices have fallen significantly since 2018. The utility said a residential customer on Hawaii island using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity this month would pay $163.74, down from $181.76 in the same month last year.

Hawaiian Electric also noted that utility customers did not pay for Puna Geothermal repairs. Ormat has shouldered all plant restoration expenses, which were at least partially covered by insurance.