New Conditions Placed on PGV for Start-Up Operations
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In-formation. Bulletin Drilling Resumption 'at Puna Geothermal Venture Published by the County of Hawaii and State of Hawaii • March 1992 New conditions placed on PGV for start-up operations Task force bans open venting, tightens drilling requirements, cuts emissions After meetingthe termsand conditions prioritywiththenewrequirements andthe of a major overhaul on drilling, safety commitmentof more than $1.6 millionin requirements and enforcement, Puna State fundsto ensure compliance." Geothermal Venture (PGV) has received The County suspended drilling permission to complete its 25-megawatt operations at the facility in June, 1991. electric power plant in Kapoho. afteran uncontrolled wellblowout. Since The new criteria were issued in a then a County-State task force and Geothermal Management Plan prepared independent consultants· have developed by a joint County-State task force. The the Geothermal Management Plan to plan tightens dr..iing requirements. addressa wide rangeof concerns. improvesemergencyresponseprocedures, The Management Plan includes: This sketch shows what will be Hawaii's first commercial geothermal power plant. improves emission requirements for • a ban on the open venting of new or The facility in Kapoho will deliver 25 megawatts to Hawaii Electric Light Co. hydrogen sulfide and noise, upgrades existing wells, monitoring equipmentand adds staff to -. an upgrade of the air monitoring ensure enforcement. program to meet the recommendations $1.6 million released to staff and equip "Iamadvisedthatthenewrequirements of independentconsultants, add up to the stiffestset of safety controls • a stiffeningof noisecontrols. upgraded health monitoring programs on any geothermal facilityanywhere, and To reduce future conflicts between that they exceed,by a significantmargin. PGV and the nearby community,County "As you know, our experience with emergencyprocedures, the regulations imposed on any kind of and State officials have committed to geothermal developmenton the Big Island • three State Departmentof Land and industrial plant in Hawaii," said Mayor a good-faith effort to compensate or suffered a setback last year. But we have NaturalResourcesemployees,includinga Lorraine Inouye. taken soundmeasures to ensure the safety geologist,technicianand clerk-typist, See New Conditions page 4 and health of our citizens. Satisfied, we • a geothermalcoordinatorfor theCounty "Our firstpriorityisto safeguardpublic remain determined and committed to the of Hawaii. health and safety. We are meeting this development of geothermal to fill the In addition, the State Department of critical energy needs ofthe Big Island. " Business, Economic Development and On the inside: Tourism has requested authorization to Advisory council fonus - Gov. John Waihee createasimilarpositiontocoordinateState The State Department of Health is Big Isleenergy 1992State of the State message activities. • Gov. John Waihee has released $1.6 While hiring is underway to fill these forming an advisory committeemade up profile million for personnel and upgraded positions,theStatehasreassignedexisting of residents from communities near the' equipmentfor monitoringand overseeing personnelinto seven of the slots. PunaGeothermalVenture(PGV)plant to • PGV project details geothermalactivities. Regardingequipment,the Department exchange information anddiscuss concems • H2S levels In addition, the State Administration of Health has set up four permanent aboutairqualityand noiseassociated with has requested the Legislature set up monitoring stations in the PGV area to addressed permanentfunding of about $1.2 million measureany hydrogensulfideemissions. geothermal development. annuallytocontinuethemonitoringwork. Two are to be upgraded to be in Health Department Clean Air Branch • Relocation issues 'AspartoftheGovernor's commitment, compliance with the new Geothermal ChiefPaulAki,whowillchairthemeetings, new personnelinclude: ManagementPlan. said that community associations have • Otherhealth In addition, two portable high-grade • four Department of Health employees selected persons to sit on the committee (two for air-quality and two for noise Jerome monitors are available for use as concerns monitoring) who willstaffshifts24 hours needed. andthatthefirstmeetingwillbescheduled Changes in a day during Puna Geothermal Venture The developer has also set up three within the next few weeks. Committee • (PGV) drilling.The stafferswill be at the permanent monitoring stations, bringing meetingswill be held monthly. emergency plan State monitoring office in the HGP-A thetotaltoninehydrogensulfidemonitors. Discussions willcoverthefullspectrum 'The PGV facility is the most closely Noiselevels facility next to the PGV plant. of air qualityand noiseissues.OtherState • • an air permittingengineer, regulated geothermal venture anywhere Complaint hot lines • a groundwaterengineer, thatweknowof,"saidDr.BruceAnderson health officials and Hawaii County staff • ,• a plannerto evaluateand update of the State Departmentof Health.• also will attend.• Information Bulletin Page 2 March 1992 exposure to HzS? Response: Before the uncontrolled New criteria set for hydrogen sulfide , ventingatPGVlastJune,criteriahadcalled _-----------------------------. fora CivilDefensealertwhenH2Sreached Geothermal electric power plants tap 100ppb, a Civil Defensewarningat 1,000 natural steamorpressurizedhotwaterinside HYDROGEN SULFIDE EXPOSURE hourly average in parts per billion (ppb) ppbandanevacuationat 10,000ppb. State the earth. Like other underground energy healthofficialshavesimplified andlowered sources, such as oil or coal, natural steam the action levels; PGV has adopted them' containsunwanted substances. in its EmergencyResponse Plan. Thismixture ofsolids, liquids andgases, Federal level __---:.....----~-p.e--- for workplace The new criteria of 25 ppb for an alert called geothermal brine, includes carbon and 1,000ppbfor a warningarefour to ten dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, hydrogen times more stringentthan before. sulfide andtraceamounts ofradon, mercury, Warning level for Puna public Using computer modeling, scientists lead and other substances. have projectedvariousaccidentscenarios Under normal operating conditions at at the PGV facility. In that modeling, the PGV,boththesteamanditsimpuritiesare maximum accidental exposure level for injected backintotheunderground reservoir onehourunderworst-caseconditionsmight and practically nothingis emittedinto the be 12,786 ppb at a distance of about a air.In theeventof an upset,however,they quarter-mile(0.4kilometer.)That is about can be releasedinto the atmosphere. the distanceto the nearest residence. The State's aim is to preventaccidents, }.I'. 't' hence the Geothermal Management Plan, .~d~~·.'d~~tabi~ •. .: New requirements: with its tightened drilling procedures, : at 5 parts per billion Hydrogen Civil Defense monitoring requirements and stepped-up sulfidelevel response agency enforcement. '*S1l01.1rs Pe~da"y,5days per'week The byproduct of greatest concern is ., ... ... ;; . .".;. 25ppb goon watch hydrogen sulfide gas because it can be toxicinveryhighconcentrations. Hydrogen, I,oooppb warning level sulfide is colorless, slightly heavier than itcancauseanodornuisanceat25ppb,H,S a conservative approach. The DOH to public air, and has a "rottenegg"odor. isnotlikelytocausephysicalhealtheffects considers the odor of hydrogen sulfide at Somepeoplecansmell itdowntoalevel at these levels. They were set to prevent . 25 ppb a serious nuisance and wishes to any level evacuationwhen of about five parts per billion (ppb.) That odor nuisanceproblems. protectthepublicfromnuisancethataffects deemed advisable concentration is equivalent to about three Toxicologists and other experts inside a person's sense of well-being. by Civil Defense teaspoons of chlorine in an Olympic-size and outside government say the first Concern: Can exposure to levels of swimmingpool. physical effects have been observed in HzS below25ppbcauselastingproblems? Previous requirements: Concern: Some say the state's people when H,S reaches 10,000 ppb. Response:Todate,thebulkofscientific .: " 100ppb go on alert, permitted limits for hydrogen sulfide are Exposureto this ievelof H,S over an hour evidence does not support the view that "serious nuisance" nottoughenough; theysaysomesensitive or morecancausetemporaryeye andnose HzS causes chronic long term effects. people,particularly asthmatics andthevery irritationfor some persons. Concern: Whathappensifageothennal l,oooppb warningleveltopublic young, would have negative reactions at The U.S. Occupational Safety and incidentsendslevelsof~S greaterthan25 any level.Otherssay the standards are too HealthAdministration (OSHA) has set an ppb into the air? lO,oooppb evacuationof stringent, citing communities elsewhere H,S standardforworkersat 10,000ppbfor Response: State health officials have affectedpublic.• which are exposed to these levels from eight hours per day. That means workers imposedone-hourcriteriawhichrequirea naturalsourceswithout adverse effects. are allowedto be exposedto levelsof H,S publicwatchat25ppb,andapublicwarning ofthis , Response: The Department of Health all day, five days a week. - at 1,000 ppb. In addition, County Civil ,">"Copies has set limitsof 25 ppb averaged over one At50,000ppb,H,S exposurecancause Defense has- the authority to issue an ;',;'information tabloid, hour, which is the same as California's markedirritation totheeyesandrespiratory evacuation order immediately, without standard, and 10 ppb averaged over 24 tract.