Hawaii County Civil Defense received reports Thursday afternoon of loud noises at the Puna Geothermal Venture power plant in Puna.
Hawaii County Civil Defense received reports Thursday afternoon of loud noises at the Puna Geothermal Venture power plant in Puna.
Ed Teixeira, interim civil defense administrator, said initial reports looked like a partial trip of equipment offline.
He said in a later message PGV reported a “release of steam at one of its wells” at 3 p.m. and the situation was under control at 3:45 p.m.
“They’re following the protocols, and so are we,” he said. Firefighters and hazardous materials crews were dispatched to the scene, along with representatives from Hawaii Electric Light Co.
According to a report from the plant to Civil Defense, none of the air quality monitors on the PGV perimeter were picking up any traces of hazardous gas.
“Based on available data, there is no threat to the public and no evacuation is necessary,” Teixeira said.