Now that the word is out, Ormat plans to build another plant somewhere in Puna. Many residents probably want to know exactly where? Maybe a few more would like to join that now frozen relocation list? Would another producing geothermal plant in our area raise or lower our property and home values? We grew up thinking geothermal was an experiment and would only be around a couple decades, I had no idea they would be our neighbor for-eva. Please remind me of some of the good geothermal offers?
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Many residents probably want to know exactly where?
Apparently "they" don't have to say where (yet) because it's a State secret that us mere County resident's aren't entitled to.
Hooray for rules and laws and codes and process and procedures.
We have always felt as if geothermal was a sneaky and dirty bully type of neighbor, this secrecy that effects our future doesn't help. I can't believe all the hoops we had to jump through to buy, build, and or own to live in leilani. We can't even have a chicken that lays eggs on my ag zoned land, can't have a dog without a leach, or a goat to eat at the growing grass. Can't have another dwelling unless they are connected in some way. We had to have an apron poured, and this month we have to pay our yearly dues. Yet my neighbor geothermal can drill all day and night, expand new wells and plants without connections, they probably can have farm animals and fish too. They can release toxic gasses without warning over my catchment and land while taking resources like water and steam.
Sure hope they come out soon, don't delay and please let the public know where this plant will be,Also hope they move to a better location for many. We have heard so much about such incredible technology advancements geothermal is capable of now compared to 1990. Heard they could drill in kona now or even Maui and get this resource so hopefully they could move out away from our neighborhoods a bit.
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I'm guessing that they haven't announced because the property owner will be embarrassed !!
Wouldn't be wild if Bob Petricci sold out and moved to Colorado so he could smoke pakalolo in peace ?
That's the rumor I'm going with !
The next Plant will be called Puna Pono Geothermal LLC Inc. etc !!
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can't even have a chicken that lays eggs on my ag zoned land
Leilani residents voluntarily established CC&Rs that prevent some "ag" activities; this is used as a workaround for the lack of proper R zoning. I find it hilarious.
If these are not satisfactory, there are other subdivisions without these covenants.
Of course, most subdivisions without CC&Rs also tend to lack road maintenance...
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These aren't plants in the sense of car plants or oil burning electric plants. A geothermal well is just a small hole in the ground, the turbine in the only plant like shelter of the facility, mostly pipes and valves, heat exchangers, working fluid holding tank, injection pumps, the rest, occupy several acres and can be disassembled down to the component parts fairly quickly. It's not like looking at old Ford and Chevy plants in Detroit, occupying hundreds of acres with concrete foundations and several stories high.
This new plant will be an extension of the existing facility, probably a new turbine building, different drilling area. It will be much less expensive to extend PGV structure outward than building a new plant in a new location.
"Mahalo nui Pele, 'ae noho ia moku 'aina" - kakahiaka oli
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
Last night here in UPPER Leilani, was just continuation from yesterday as a couple of our boys kept us parents up all night with very high fevers. We got to lay awake with icepacks and fever reducers ready for action. Well guess what we got to listen to through the weeeee early hours, or all night? That's right we could hear the drilling from geothermal. My wife is a bit sensitive to the vibrations and noise caused by the drilling, also something makes her skin irritated to the point of medicine needed. What a long weekend we are now in for, even longer 3 or more months until geothermal is finished we suppose. We were hoping they wouldn't drill over the weekends or in the evenings.
