A geothermal health study could get more expensive for Hawaii County.
A geothermal health study could get more expensive for Hawaii County.
The Windward Planning Commission, which oversees expenditures of the county’s geothermal royalties, approved spending $750,000 in September 2014 to fund the report.
Afterward, the county issued a request for proposals and picked the University of California at Berkeley to do the study, which would determine if the operations at Puna Geothermal Venture affect the health of nearby residents.
But now, UC-Berkeley is requesting additional funds to cover its costs before starting. The increase could range from $125,000 to $225,000, according to county officials.
Since it involves the geothermal fund, the planning commission would have to approve the increase.
Daryn Arai, acting county planning director, said the matter will be brought before the commission, but it’s not clear yet when that will occur. He said an adjuster is reviewing the request.
A geothermal working group formed by the county made the health study it’s top recommendation in a 2013 report.
According to the RFP, the study will address whether residents living near PGV, the state’s only geothermal power plant, have increased health problems that could be associated with exposure to hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, heavy metals and excessive noise.
The 38-megawatt plant operates with a closed system but occasionally releases hydrogen sulfide during controlled and uncontrolled venting.
Some nearby residents have claimed adverse health effects from the plant as a result of its steam releases, though no connections appear to have been proven.
A separate study that will assess impacts of geothermal development on Native Hawaiians is in the works.
The Planning Commission approved spending $293,760 in geothermal funds for the report in 2014, and an RFP is being drafted, Arai said. That study will look at cultural impacts of geothermal development. Some Hawaiians consider that an insult to the volcano goddess Pele.
That effort was delayed because of concerns it didn’t meet standards for the county’s procurement code.
Last June, the commission authorized spending $362,719 to study the dispersion of hydrogen sulfide from the plant.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.