Lava creeps onto geothermal plant site on Hawaii’s Big Island
PAHOA, Hawaii — Molten lava from the erupting Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island crept onto a geothermal power plant site on Monday, as workers rushed to shut down the facility to prevent the uncontrollable release of toxic gases.
Crews worked into the night to cap the 11th and final well at the Puna Geothermal Venture plant, which provides about 25 percent of the Big Island’s power, as lava from an active fissure flowed 200 to 300 meters from the nearest well pad, county and federal officials said.
“County, state and federal partners have been collaborating closely to monitor the situation and work with PGV to ensure the safety of the surrounding communities,” the county said.
The race at the site marked the latest challenge facing authorities as they cope with what geologists rank as one of the biggest upheavals in a century from one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
The latest explosive eruption at the Kilauea summit occurred shortly before 6 pm, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported.
“The resulting ash plume may affect surrounding areas,” it said.
The plant has been closed since shortly after lava began erupting on May 3 through newly opened fissures in the ground running through neighborhoods and roads on the far eastern flank of Kilauea.
Within a week, some 227,120 liters of the highly flammable chemical pentane, which was stored at the plant, were moved from harm’s way. The state said last week it was pumping cold water into the wells and would cap them with iron plugs.
Laze alert
The plant’s wells run 1,830-2,440 meters underground to tap into extremely hot water and steam used to run turbines and produce electricity.
About 5 kilometers to the east of the plant on the coast, noxious clouds of acid fumes, steam and fine glasslike particles billowed into the sky as lava poured into the ocean from two flows cutting across Highway 137, one of the main exit routes from the eruption zone.
Laze — a term combining the words “lava” and “haze” — is formed when erupting lava, which can reach 1,090 C, reacts with seawater. It is potentially deadly if inhaled.
“If one were to be near the laze, because of the various acids, it would be corrosive to the eyes, the nose and respiratory tract, and the skin,” Doctor Alvin Bronstein from the Hawaii State Department of Health told journalists on a conference call.
Laze killed two people when a lava flow reached the coast in 2000, and authorities warned residents to stay clear of it.