Geothermal Drilling in Hawaii: A Comparison to Fracking

wearepuna
Jun 22
3 min read

Aloha Ohana, as I begin my first major essay at university as a master's student in criminal justice, I wanted to share some of my research for this paper. I hope it helps inform those who merely dismiss the idea that geothermal energy is toxic and potentially as harmful, if not more so, than oil fracking.

The most common issue with geothermal is the misinformation surrounding it. People simply do not understand it and its procedures. This leads to mockery and uneducated decisions that will change communities' lives and environments for generations to come. Lots of people have this drilling is not fracking.

In the case of Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) operated by Ormat on Hawaii Island, community members strongly assert that the operations constitute a form of toxic fracking. High volumes of fluids—approximately 4.3 million gallons per day—are injected into the ground to create and enhance fractures in the volcanic rock, generating steam for power production. This continuous, long-term injection and reinjection process over decades is viewed as deadly due to the mix of industrial chemicals and naturally mobilized volcanic toxins. These practices are documented through Ormat's own Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS/SDS) for the chemicals used on site, which list hazardous substances handled during drilling, stimulation, and operations.

Comparison of Toxic Drilling Procedures and Chemicals: Puna Geothermal vs. Conventional Oil/Gas Fracking:

Both processes involve high-pressure injection to manipulate underground rock formations as to create fractures, but they differ in scale, frequency, and specific applications while sharing significant toxicity concerns.

In Puna's geothermal operations, the primary procedure relies on drilling into the active volcanic rift zone followed by ongoing high-volume fluid injection to fracture and stimulate permeability for steam production. This includes daily circulation of geothermal brine mixed with additives, acid treatments for scale removal, and pressure management that community advocates equate to fracturing.

Key toxic chemicals, as listed in operational SDS documents, include caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) used in large quantities for emergency H₂S neutralization, pentane as a flammable working fluid in binary cycle turbines (with thousands of gallons stored on site), various acids such as hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, nitric, and phosphoric for well cleaning and scale removal, drilling mud components like bentonite, sepiolite, polymers, and sodium silicate, cement additives including calcium chloride and silica flour, H₂S scavengers (e.g., chelated zinc-sulfate), corrosion inhibitors, oxygen scavengers, and other service chemicals like isopropanol. Naturally occurring toxins mobilized by these activities—such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), heavy metals (arsenic, lead, etc.), radon, and SO₂—further compound the risks during injection, releases, and leaks. This action creates conduits and blocks kīlauea volcano from reaching its ocean entry at Kumukahi.

In contrast, traditional oil and gas hydraulic fracking uses episodic, high-intensity injections of millions of gallons per well (typically 2–10+ million gallons per stage) to create new fractures in low-permeability shale or tight rock. The fluid mix is roughly 90% water, 9.5% sand proppant, and 0.5% chemical additives. Common toxic additives include hydrochloric acid for perforation, biocides like glutaraldehyde, friction reducers such as polyacrylamide, surfactants, scale inhibitors, clay stabilizers, methanol, ethylene glycol, and various proprietary organics. Flowback wastewater returns to the surface heavily contaminated with formation salts, metals, and hydrocarbons.

While geothermal injection in Puna is more continuous and integrated with produced brine in a volcanic setting, both methods involve injecting chemical-laden fluids under pressure, handling hazardous substances per SDS guidelines, and managing risks of leaks, emissions, and long-term environmental accumulation. In many ways geothermal fracking is ALOT worse .

The procedures in Puna highlight ongoing daily exposure pathways through injection into fractures, H₂S abatement with caustic soda, pentane handling, acid stimulations, and brine reinjection carrying metals and gases. Fracking, meanwhile, concentrates toxicity in shorter but more chemically diverse high-pressure events, with major concerns around wastewater disposal and potential groundwater migration. In both cases, the chemicals are classified as hazardous on safety data sheets, posing risks of respiratory irritation, cumulative health impacts, and ecosystem damage—issues that Puna community members have experienced and are addressing through legal action.

Addressing these realities requires moving beyond misinformation to acknowledge the lived experiences of those in the Puna community who have dealt with emissions, odors, and health concerns for decades. Understanding the full scope of toxic procedures and chemicals used in geothermal operations compared to fracking is essential for informed decisions that protect future generations and the environment

KahuPuna

Aloha Activism

Lerz Puna News Weekly (on fb)

#endgeothermal #aolepgv #decadesofcoverups #wearepuna