OHA Said to Be ‘Tight-Lipped’ on Geothermal Investment
The Hilo newspaper reports that the agency would have received a stake in a 25-megawatt plant in exchange for big bucks.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has been in the news a lot lately regarding the protest over Mauna Kea.
The Hilo Tribune-Herald is now reporting on other OHA activity on Hawaii Island, one in which the quasi-governmental agency has been less than forthcoming.
OHA, the newspaper said Sunday, “would have received a 5 percent stake in a 25-megawatt geothermal plant in exchange for a $1.25 million investment in the Huena Power Consortium,” according to a due diligence report issued by a real estate company.
Volcanic emissions on the Big Island.
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The Huena Power Consortium is a joint venture led by Innovations Development Group, which sought to have the geothermal contract with Hawaii Electric Light Co.
Instead, HELCO selected Ormat Technologies — the company that owns Puna Geothermal Venture, the only geothermal power plant in the state — to build the next power plant in Puna.
Kudos to the Tribune-Herald for staying on this story.
As Civil Beat reported Monday, there is talk that geothermal plants could extract valuable minerals like lithium, making interest in who runs the Puna plant all the more significant.
