Hawaii governor eases risks with lava eruption near power plant

Honolulu: Hawaii has signed an emergency proclamation to address safety threats posed by ongoing volcanic eruptions near a geothermal power plant storing flammables.

Lava flow on the Big Island is reportedly just kilometres from the geothermal plant housing 60,000 gallons of pentane gas and geothermal wells. Hawaii Governor David Ige said this proclamation was necessary to ensure the power plant operator could react quickly enough to ensure public safety.

“We will be reviewing the existing actions already taken by Geothermal Puna Venture and the two concerns that we are planning for and working to mitigate is that there is a flammable solvent that is used in production of electricity at the plant, pentane, and we want to make sure we can remove it from the site,” said Governor Ige. He also said the plant pose no immediate risk to the public.

Acolumn of robust, reddish-brown ash plume occurred after a magnitude 6.9 South Flank of K lauea earthquake shook the Big Island of Hawaii.