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220 South Sixth Street Suite 1300 Minneapolis, MN 55402 <br /> 4vIMPA tel. 612.349.6868 fax. 612.349.6108 www.mmpa.org <br /> Minnesota Municipal Power Agency <br /> Elk River Shares in "Biogas Project of the Year" Award <br /> MMPA's "Hometown BioEnergy"facility in Le Sueur wins honors from <br /> American Biogas Council <br /> November 2, 2015— Elk River is one of the 12 member communities of the <br /> Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA)that can take pride in the national <br /> recognition awarded to the Agency's Hometown BioEnergy facility in Le Sueur as the <br /> "Biogas Project of the Year" presented by the American Biogas Council. <br /> Based in Washington D.C., the American Biogas Council, a trade association <br /> representing the U.S. biogas industry, is dedicated to creating jobs, environmental <br /> sustainability and energy independence by growing the American biogas industry. <br /> MMPA's Hometown BioEnergy facility uses the anaerobic digestion process to <br /> produce renewable electricity from food processing and agricultural waste. Electricity <br /> generated from methane gas can be dispatched to the local distribution system at times <br /> of highest demand. <br /> According to Steve Schmidt, MMPA chairman and City of Anoka council <br /> member, "We're very proud of this award because it recognizes the innovation built into <br /> Hometown BioEnergy, where we produce methane and store it, ready to burn in our <br /> generators during on-peak hours when the value of the energy is highest." <br /> Schmidt said energy produced in the facility is distributed directly into the City of <br /> Le Sueur electrical system, and is an important component of MMPA's renewable <br /> energy portfolio—all designed to help MMPA communities meet Minnesota's renewable <br /> energy production requirements. <br /> "This biogas facility, because of its ability to store biogas until it's needed, is an <br /> excellent complement to renewable power generated from wind or solar," he said. <br /> Patrick Serfass, Executive Director of the American Biogas Council said in a <br /> news release announcing the award, "The quality of innovation in the biogas industry is <br /> at a fever pitch today." <br /> Hometown BioEnergy was also was recognized by POWER magazine as a 2014 <br /> Top Renewable Plant and was featured on the cover of the December 2014 magazine. <br /> Schmidt said, "The Hometown BioEnergy facility in Le Sueur is an important <br /> factor in MMPA's mission to provide reliable, competitively-priced energy to members, <br /> while meeting renewable energy standards." <br /> 153 <br />