Puna Geothermal Venture
The Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) is a geothermal energy power plant on the island of Hawaii, the largest island in the state of Hawaii. The plant was shut down shortly after the start of the May 2018 lower Puna eruption, and resumed power generation in November 2020. The eruption had caused lava to flow over a PGV power substation, a warehouse and at least three geothermal wells that had been preventatively quenched and capped when lava fountains erupted nearby, eventually also cutting off road access.
| Puna Geothermal Venture | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Location | Puna, Hawaii |
| Coordinates | 19.4785°N 154.8888°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1989 |
| Commission date | 1993 |
| Owner(s) | Ormat Technologies |
| Geothermal power station | |
| Type | Binary cycle |
| Wells | 11 |
| Max. well depth | 8,297 feet (2,529 m) |
| Combined cycle? | Yes |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 38 MW |
| External links | |
| Website | hawaiianelectric.com/clean-energy-hawaii/clean-energy-facts/renewable-energy-sources/geothermal/puna-geothermal-venture-(pgv) |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
PGV is the first and only commercial geothermal power plant in Hawaii. Constructed on a site adjacent to failed experimental wells drilled and operated by the Hawaii Geothermal Project in the 1970s and 80s, construction on the generating facility began in 1989 and was completed in 1993.
Prior to the lava damage, the plant had an installed generating capacity of 38 MW from six production wells and five injection wells along Kīlauea’s East rift zone. Its output was sold to Hawaiian Electric Industries (also known as HELCO). The plant generated up to 10% of the island’s electrical energy as of 2018.