The TMT International Observatory may have racked up a tab of nearly $2 million as its construction equipment sat idle on Mauna Kea for much of the year.
Scott Ishikawa, a spokesman for the Thirty Meter Telescope, confirmed the nonprofit organization spent about $220,000 a month while the work was delayed as protesters blocked workers from reaching the construction site.
That figure was cited in court documents filed in November prior to the state Supreme Court overturning the $1.4 billion project’s land use permit. The high court found the state Board of Land and Natural Resources erred by approving the permit prior to holding a contested case hearing.
The equipment sat idle from March 24 until it was removed Dec. 16.
TMT spent another $107.5 million in 2015 on other work related to the project, including manufacturing underway in its five partner countries, according to court records.
Ishikawa said no decision has been made regarding whether TMT would again pursue the permit.