Pressemitteilung von Viaspace

Kukkonen said that, from a business standpoint, even a relatively small 30-megawatt (MW) biomass-dedicated power plant would use 175,000 tons of Giant King Grass each year and potentially generate $6.3 million in grass sales. A much larger 2,000-MW coal-fired power plant, by replacing only 20% of its coal with Giant King Grass pellets, would require approximately 2.3 million tons of grass pellets per year, representing sales of approximately $230 million. Both projections are based on current prices for biomass and pellets.

About VIASPACE Inc.

VIASPACE is an alternative energy company providing products and technology for renewable and clean energy that reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil and high-pollutant energy sources. The Company provides raw material for cellulosic biofuels and develops and markets fuel cell cartridges, products and technology. VIASPACE subsidiary Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation owns a portfolio of fuel cell patents licensed from Pasadena-based California Institute of Technology (Caltech), which manages NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where the direct methanol fuel cell was invented. For more information, please see www.viaspace.com/ or contact Dr. Jan Vandersande, Director of Communications, at 800-517-8050 or IR@VIASPACE.com.

Safe Harbor Statement:  Information in this news release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such factors  include, without limitation, risks outlined in our periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, as well as general economic and business conditions; the ability to acquire and develop specific products and technologies; changes in consumer and business demand for the Company's products; competition from larger companies; changes in demand for alternative and clean energy; risks associated with international transactions; risks related to technological change; and other factors over which VIASPACE has little or no control.

In addition, on February 14, 2011, Dr. Kukkonen reported: “These initial results show that a ton of Giant King Grass can yield as much bio ethanol as a ton of corn stover. This validates Giant King Grass, a nonfood dedicated energy crop, as a competitive feedstock for producing cellulosic biofuels... Most importantly, an acre of Giant King Grass yields up to 10 times greater tonnage than an acre of corn stover, which is the stalk and leaves leftover from harvesting an acre of corn…With our high yield, we believe that Giant King Grass can reduce biofuel feedstock costs by up to 40%, even when compared to projected prices for corn straw as agricultural waste. As a result, Giant King Grass promises the cost-of-production breakthrough that has plagued the second-generation biofuels industry.”

military contracts from security contracts with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army. Total revenue for 2009 was $4,376,000 and
included $3,618,000 from IPA and $701,000 from U.S. military contracts for security products.

For 2010, cost of revenues was $2,634,000, compared to $2,686,000 in 2009. Gross profit for 2010 was $1,009,000,
compared to gross profit of $1,690,000 for 2009.

Total operating expenses for 2010 were $3,828,000, including $3,650,000 of selling, general and administrative (SG&A)
expense and $178,000 for operations. SG&A included $1,690,000 in stock-based compensation. Total operating expenses
for 2009 were $4,417,000 and included $4,387,000 in SG&A and $30,000 for operations. SG&A in 2009 included
$1,784,000 in stock-based compensation. Operating loss for 2010 was $2,819,000, compared to an operating loss of
$2,727,000 in 2009.

2010 other expense, net, was $142,000, compared to other expense, net, of $194,000 for 2009.

Kukkonen traveled to Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar in February where he met with current and potential partners for biomass electric power plants in these countries.  Representatives from the Philippines and Malaysia flew to California in December to meet with us.  In February, Kukkonen also met with representatives of Seema Energy who are developing a 90 MW biomass power plant in Thailand to be fueled by Giant King Grass. Kukkonen also met with Owl Energy, the power consulting company that conducted the feasibility study and developed the Request for Proposals for Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) for the Seema Energy project in Thailand.  Kukkonen met with one of the EPC firms to brief them on Giant King Grass as a dedicated energy crop.

Kukkonen continued, "In Bangkok, I met with our power plant partner DP CleanTech to discuss the range of potential projects around the world utilizing their exclusive boiler technology with Giant King Grass. DP CleanTech has built 27 biomass power plants over the last six years. Their expertise is in high-temperature high-pressure power plants using straws such as Giant King Grass as fuel."

"I also went to Myanmar (also known as Burma) to explore future business opportunities. The US currently has sanctions against Myanmar, but things are changing quickly. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Myanmar in December and Senators John McCain and Mitch McConnell have recently traveled to Myanmar.  Pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is running for Parliament in the April 1 elections.  The US has restored diplomatic relations with Myanmar and President Obama spoke well of Burma in his State of the Union address.  If things continue to go forward, the sanctions will likely be removed and Myanmar will represent a significant business opportunity. After being closed for 50 years, Myanmar is anticipating very rapid development and electricity is an important part of their plan."

Finally, Kukkonen was invited to make a presentation at the 2nd Biomass & Pellets Update Asia Conference held in Bangkok on February 17, 2012.  Other speakers were from Poyry Management Consulting of Finland and Singapore, Vyncke Energietechniek of Belgium, and pellet equipment manufacturers--Kahl from Germany, CPM from the US, Prodesa from Spain, and Muyang from China. Dr. Kukkonen's presentation "Giant King Grass for Bioenergy and Pellets" is available on the VIASPACE website at www.VIASPACE.com.