PĀHOA, Hawaiʻi - PGV held its first community meeting since the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea forced the company to shut down.
(BIVN) – Representatives of Puna Geothermal Venture held a community meeting Friday evening at the Pāhoa High School cafeteria, where they offered to help lava-locked residents regain access to their properties.
Ormat, the parent company of PGV, is planning to move forward with plans to resume operations on the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, where the 2018 eruption of the volcano forced the company to cease operations. Lava partially inundated the facility and blocked access to the plant.
During Friday’s meeting, Ormat’s director of Hawaiian Affairs, Mike Kaleikini, and PGV plant manager Jordan Hara, gave updates on the facility recovery. The presentation included a short video documenting the eruption and the effort to cut new access roads in the wake of the volcanic event.
Hawaiʻi County officials and HELCO representatives were also on hand. Lono Lyman of the Kapoho Land & Development Company also spoke.
The topic that got the most attention was PGV’s offer to help residents access their lands cut off by the lava flow.
Kaleikini said the forms have been completed. By signing the paperwork and providing other information, residents will be able to use PGV’s temporary roads over the lava to get home. “We will need to confirm that you do indeed have a residence” on the other side of the lava flow, Kaleikini said.
Hara talked about the logistics of the access plan with interested residents after the presentations ended.
There were concerns that the meeting might be interrupted by residents opposed to the geothermal facility, but those concerns never materialized.
by Big Island Video News
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STORY SUMMARY
PĀHOA, Hawaiʻi - PGV held its first community meeting since the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea forced the company to shut down.
(BIVN) – Representatives of Puna Geothermal Venture held a community meeting Friday evening at the Pāhoa High School cafeteria, where they offered to help lava-locked residents regain access to their properties.
Ormat, the parent company of PGV, is planning to move forward with plans to resume operations on the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, where the 2018 eruption of the volcano forced the company to cease operations. Lava partially inundated the facility and blocked access to the plant.
During Friday’s meeting, Ormat’s director of Hawaiian Affairs, Mike Kaleikini, and PGV plant manager Jordan Hara, gave updates on the facility recovery. The presentation included a short video documenting the eruption and the effort to cut new access roads in the wake of the volcanic event.
Hawaiʻi County officials and HELCO representatives were also on hand. Lono Lyman of the Kapoho Land & Development Company also spoke.
The topic that got the most attention was PGV’s offer to help residents access their lands cut off by the lava flow.
Kaleikini said the forms have been completed. By signing the paperwork and providing other information, residents will be able to use PGV’s temporary roads over the lava to get home. “We will need to confirm that you do indeed have a residence” on the other side of the lava flow, Kaleikini said.
Hara talked about the logistics of the access plan with interested residents after the presentations ended.
There were concerns that the meeting might be interrupted by residents opposed to the geothermal facility, but those concerns never materialized.