Hawaii races to secure power plant as lava threatens facility
Workers scrambled to shut down a geothermal power plant on Hawaii’s Big Island before it gets doused in fiery lava.
Crews worked overnight (May 22) to close the 11th and final well at the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) plant, which provides 25 percent of the Big Island’s power, to prevent the uncontrollable release of toxic fumes.
Molten rock from an active fissure flowed as close as 200 yards from the nearest well pad, 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 plant has been closed since May 3, when Kilauea volcano began erupting, sending red-hot lava spewing out of fissures on the eastern side of the island.
Some 60,000 gallons of pentane, a highly flammable chemical stored at the plant, were moved and the state said last week it was pumping cold water into the wells and would cap them with iron plugs.
The plant’s wells are as deep as 8,000 feet and tap into extremely hot water and steam used to run turbines and produce electricity.
Kilauea volcano most recently exploded at its summit shortly before 6 p.m. local time Monday, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
“The resulting ash plume may affect surrounding areas,” it said.
Lava flows from fissures near Pahoa, Hawaii.
Lava has been oozing out into the ocean from two flows located three miles east of the plant, creating acid fumes and “laze” — a combination of scorching lava and haze that is formed when erupting lava reacts with sea water.
Laze 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,” Dr. Alvin Bronstein from the Hawaii Department of Health told reporters.
Explosions from methane gases are also possible if lava mixes with the flammable gas given off by rotting vegetation.
Kilauea’s eruption has produced two dozen fissures and is entering a more violent phase, sending larger volumes of molten rock shooting out of the ground and flowing farther than before.
At least 44 homes have been destroyed in the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens area of the Puna district.
Kilauea volcano on the Island of Hawaii (from PA Graphics)
A man was seriously injured Saturday when a plate-size chunk of lava flared up from a fissure and struck him on the leg.
Two thousand people have been evacuated due to the lava’s flow and release of toxic sulfur dioxide gas— levels of which have tripled in the last two days, officials said.
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VOCABULARY WORDS
1.Threaten/verb: state one's intention to take hostile action against someone in retribution for something done or not done.
2.Fiery/adjective: consisting of fire or burning strongly and brightly.
3.Lava/noun: hot molten or semifluid rock erupted from a volcano or fissure, or solid rock resulting from cooling of this.
4.Prevent/verb: keep (something) from happening or arising.
5.Uncontrollable/adjective: not controllable.
6.Toxic/adjective: toxic
7.Poisonous./noun: gas, smoke, or vapor that smells strongly or is dangerous to inhale.
8.Fissure/noun: a long, narrow opening or line of breakage made by cracking or splitting, especially in rock or earth.
9.Pentane/noun: a volatile liquid hydrocarbon of the alkane series, present in petroleum-based solvents.
10.Flammable/adjective: easily set on fire.
11.Observatory/noun: a room or building housing an astronomical telescope or other scientific equipment for the study of natural phenomena.
12.Corrosive/adjective: tending to cause corrosion.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)
2. What percent of the Big Island’s power comes from the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) plant?
3. When did the PGV plant close?
4. a) What is pentane?
b) What precautions did workers take with the plant’s pentane?
5. What is laze? Why is it so dangerous?
6. What danger does methane gas pose if the lava mixes with it?
