Honolulu:  A broad lava flow cascaded towards a Hawaii geothermal power station on Saturday, posing a new hazard as molten rock from the erupting Kilauea volcano bulldozed relentlessly through homes and backyards.

The lava was about 800 metres from the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV), according to the US  Geological Survey, having destroyed dozens of nearby houses in the past few days.

Since Hawaii's Kilauea volcano began a once-in-a-century-scale eruption May 3, authorities have shutdown the plant, removed 23,000 litres of flammable liquid and deactivated wells that tap into steam and gas deep in the Earth's core.

Magma has drained from Kilauea's summit lava lake and flowed around 40 kilometres east underground, bursting out of about two dozen giant cracks or fissures near the plant.