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Utility working on restoring grid access of Puna geothermal plant

Utility working on restoring grid access of Puna geothermal plant Lava creeping onto the site of the Puna geothermal plant, Hawaii - 22 May 2018 (source: screenshot, CNBC)
Alexander Richter 6 May 2019

Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) is working on re-erecting transmission lines to the Puna geothermal power plant in Hawaii to help on restoring the plant towards the end of 2019.

Public utility Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) has announced it has started to work on reconnecting the Puna geothermal power plant on the Big Island of Hawaii, as reported by local paper Hawaii Tribune Herald.

In a statement, HELCO said that HELCO and Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) are working to restore the geothermal power plant to operational capacity by the end of the year.

Now HELCO is extending power lines to the plant over over the cooled lava flow that surrounds the plant. It was initially not clear if erecting poles would be possible, but it was deemed as possible and this safely along the roadway that was constructed making the plant accessible again.

It is crucial to reconnecting the plant to the transmission system in order to bring the plant back to full operation. Initially, so the news, “power will only be restored to the facility’s control room and administration building”.

Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald