Qualla: Puna Geothermal Venture

Puna Geothermal Venture: Introduction

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

In 2005, a drill bit at the Puna Geothermal Venture punched into something unexpected: molten magma. It was only the second time in history that a geothermal well had struck liquid rock. The researchers wanted to turn the borehole into an observatory. The volcano, as it turned out, had its own plans. Thirteen years later, during Kilauea's 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption, lava flows overran the plant's property, burying two production wells and creeping within striking distance of others. The story of PGV is a story about harnessing volcanic energy -- and what happens when the volcano reminds you whose energy it really is.

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Puna Geothermal Venture: Power from the Rift Zone

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Puna Geothermal Venture sits at about 620 feet elevation in the Puna district on the Big Island's east side, directly atop Kilauea's lower East Rift Zone. The first plant opened in 1993 with ten combined-cycle Ormat Energy Converters -- each pairing a steam turbine with a bin...

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Puna Geothermal Venture: When the Lava Came

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

In May 2018, Kilauea's lower East Rift Zone erupted in the Leilani Estates subdivision, just miles from the PGV facility. New fissures opened in rapid succession, pouring rivers of lava across roads, through neighborhoods, and toward the geothermal plant. Workers raced to quench ...

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Puna Geothermal Venture: Rebirth on the Rift

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

PGV went offline for over two years. In November 2020, the plant resumed operations after drilling new wells and repairing infrastructure. The eruption had destroyed part of the wellfield but not the geothermal resource itself -- the heat beneath Kilauea's rift zone is effectivel...

Read more: Puna Geothermal Venture on Qualla