skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Project Management Plan for the Hawaii Geothermal Project Environmental Impact Statement

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/882432· OSTI ID:882432

In 1990, Congress appropriated $5 million (Pu 101-514) for the State of Hawaii to use in Phase 3 of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP). As defined by the State in its 1990 proposal to Congress, the HGP would consist of four phases: (1) exploration and testing of the geothermal resource associated with the Kilauea Volcano on the Island of Hawaii (the Big Island), (2) demonstration of deep-water power transmission cable technology in the Alenuihaha Channel between the Big Island and Maui, (3) verification and characterization of the geothermal resource on the Big Island, and (4) construction and operation of commercial geothermal power production facilities on the Big Island, with overland and submarine transmission of electricity from the Big Island to Oahu and possibly other islands (DBED 1990). Because it considered Phase 3 to be research and not project development or construction, Congress indicated that allocation of this funding would not be considered a major federal action under NEPA and would not require an EIS. However, because the project is highly visible, somewhat controversial, and involves a particularly sensitive environment in Hawaii, Congress directed in 1991 (House Resolution 1281) that ''...the Secretary of Energy shall use such sums as are necessary from amounts previously provided to the State of Hawaii for geothermal resource verification and characterization to conduct the necessary environmental assessments and/or environmental impact statement (EIS) for the geothermal initiative to proceed''. In addition, the U.S. District Court of Hawaii (Civil No. 90-00407, June 25, 1991) ruled that the federal government must prepare an EIS for Phases 3 and 4 before any further disbursement of funds was made to the State for the HGP. This Project Management Plan (PMP) briefly summarizes the background information on the HGP and describes the project management structure, work breakdown structure, baseline budget and schedule, and reporting procedures that have been established for the project. The PMP does not address in detail the work that has been completed during the scoping process and preparation of the IP. The PMP has been developed to address the tasks required in preparing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), the public comment period, and the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
882432
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English