PGV to Host Virtual Community Meeting

Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) will host a virtual community meeting Wednesday, July 14 at 4 p.m.

PGV hosts quarterly community meetings to provide updates on the plant status. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meetings have been held virtually.

PGV, along with representatives of Hawaiian Electric Co. and the County of Hawaiʻi, will give updates and answer questions from the public. Also participating will be Yoichi Ebisu, an acoustical engineer who has been working with PGV on sound mitigation.

“PGV continues to be committed to open communication with our local community,” said Michael Kaleikini, Ormat’s senior director, Hawaiʻi Affairs “As PGV rebuilds its capacity, we want to make sure to provide transparency to all interested parties,” said Kaleikini.

PGV, a subsidiary of Ormat Technologies, a world leader in geothermal energy, has been back online since November 2020 and is continuing to ramp up production.

“We are currently operating at 25 megawatts of power and are targeting to get another generator back online by the end of July, which we estimate will bring us up to 30 MW of generating capacity,” Kaleikini said.

Prior to the Kīlauea eruption, PGV provided 31% of all energy delivered to the Hawaiʻi Island grid. Geothermal energy is an instrumental part of Hawaiʻi’s initiative to reach 100% renewable energy by 2045.

The public can participate in the July 14 meeting by clicking here. The link will become live at the start of the meeting. The public can also submit questions in advance here.

Written highlights and video recordings of previous virtual community meetings are available online here. After this meeting, the next community meeting will be held in October—whether it will be held in-person or virtually will depend on COVID regulations.

In addition to participating in virtual meetings, residents who have questions or concerns can call 808-369-9094. Weekly project updates are posted at www.punageothermalproject.com