Output drop means new well in Puna

In Hawaii, Ormat Technologies Inc. said it plans to drill a new well at its Puna geothermal power plant on the Big Island because of a 32% loss of generating capacity. The 30 MW capacity plant had generated 25 MW as recently as late last year after repair work, but a decline in the steam supply caused output to fall to 17 MW. Ormat called the problem “wellbore restriction”, which means the pipes are clogged. As a result, the company will drill a new well an $11 million investment – which is to be completed by the end of the second quarter. They will also attempt to clean the well systems. Further, until output is normalized, Ormat said its revenues will decline by $1 million a month.