PGV Hosts Virtual Community Meeting April 13

Puna Geothermal Venture will host a virtual community meeting Wednesday, April 13 at 4 p.m.

PGV will provide updates on the plant status and answer questions from the public. Representatives of Hawaiian Electric and the County of Hawaiʻi will also participate and provide updates.

PGV regularly hosts quarterly community meetings. Since the start of the pandemic, the meetings have been held virtually.

“If the pandemic continues to wane, we hope to resume in-person for our next quarterly meeting in July,” said Michael Kaleikini, Ormat’s senior director, Hawaiʻi Affairs. 

PGV, a subsidiary of Ormat Technologies, a world leader in geothermal energy, currently generates 25 megawatts (MW) of energy for Hawaiʻi Island.

“We are continuing to ramp up production and will begin to drill a new well in the near future,” said Kaleikini.

PGV was supplying 31% of Hawaiʻi Island’s electric needs when it was producing 38 MW prior to the 2018 lava flow.

“Geothermal is a key part of meeting the state’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2045,” Kaleikini added.

The public can take part in the April 13 meeting by clicking a link on PGV’s website: www.punageothermalproject.com. The link will become live at the start of the meeting. The public can also submit questions in advance at https://punageothermalproject.com/public-meetings/.

Residents who have questions or concerns can call the toll-free line, 808-369-9094. Weekly project updates are posted at www.punageothermalproject.com