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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Leadership Tours Nation's First Commercial Hydrokinetic Power Project

Posted on: Friday, 8 May 2009, 14:12 CDT

HOUSTON, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Brigadier General Michael J. Walsh, Commander of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mississippi Valley Division, and Colonel Jon L. Christensen, USACE St. Paul District Commander, yesterday toured the nation's first federally-licensed, commercially-operational hydrokinetic power facility in Hastings, MN. The Hastings project is powered by patented technology from Hydro Green Energy, LLC, a renewable energy systems developer and integrator operating in the waterpower sector.

"General Walsh and Colonel Christensen are decorated, experienced officers who played a key role in the successful deployment of this groundbreaking renewable energy project. I was honored to have them visit the project and greatly enjoyed the opportunity to show them the first commercial hydrokinetic turbine in U.S. history," said Wayne F. Krouse, Chairman and CEO of Hydro Green Energy. "Hydro Green Energy appreciates the efforts of the Corps on our first project and is encouraged by its commitment to ensuring the growth of the nation's waterpower industry."

Hydro Green Energy is partnering with the City of Hastings to install a two-turbine hydrokinetic power project downstream from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lock & Dam No. 2. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the project by a 5-0 vote on December 13, 2008, making the Hastings project the only FERC-licensed hydrokinetic power project in the United States. Before installing and operating the project, Hydro Green had to obtain Corps' approval for certain engineering, safety and operational aspects of the project. The first turbine was installed in the Mississippi River in late December and early January. The second turbine, a beta unit with increased power output and efficiency, will be installed late this summer or early fall.

Hydro Green Energy is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the hydrokinetic turbines. Power sales from the turbines' output to Xcel Energy will be shared between the City of Hastings and Hydro Green Energy. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the nation's largest producer of hydropower and has committed to working with private developers to ensure that new renewable energy projects are developed at Corps' facilities that presently do not generate electricity.

"In Hastings, we proved that new clean energy projects can be developed at Corps' sites without interfering with the Corps' important navigation and flood control mission," said Krouse. "We look forward to working with the Corps on many other projects in the same manner so we both can work to see that the Commander-in-Chief's clean energy goals for America are met."

For more information on the Hastings project, please visit http://hgenergy.com/hastings.html

SOURCE Hydro Green Energy, LLC

Source: PR Newswire

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