VIASPACE Expands Board of Directors: New Director to Focus on Giant King Grass Project Development

WALNUT, Calif., Aug. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- VIASPACE Inc.--- (OTCQB: VSPC) today announced that Mr. Khurram Irshad has been elected to the VIASPACE Board of Directors. Mr. Irshad will take an active role in the company and will help lead additional Giant King Grass bioenergy project developments, especially in Pakistan.

Mr. Irshad is a citizen of Pakistan and a resident of California. He holds a Master of Science in Industrial Management from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He heads the agribusiness consulting firm Amaanco, and since 2006 has been developing projects in Pakistan based on renewable energy, primarily biomass.  He is founder of Winergy Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited which is developing the world's largest biogas plant based on 500,000 dairy animals at Landhi Cattle Colony in Karachi, Pakistan.

Khurram Irshad is also the Chairman and founder of Aquatech Infrastructures Limited which is the leading water and wastewater treatment company in Pakistan. Mr. Irshad is credited for developing a 5 MW power project for the Pakistan Navy in 2010-2011 to supply power and water to one of its bases.  This was the first project of its kind whereby a private developer was awarded the power purchase agreement by the armed forces of Pakistan. Previously, he worked in the banking sector and then headed the chemical and commodities division of the Japanese trading company, Itochu (Pakistan) a Fortune 500 company. 

VIASPACE CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen stated, "We are fortunate to have Khurram on our team.  We first met in April 2012 and we have been actively discussing potential Giant King Grass projects since then."

"Having a reliable and low cost source of fuel and feedstock is essential for any biomass project," reports Director Irshad. "I have visited the nursery in California on several occasions and I have seen firsthand   the tremendous growth and yield of Giant King Grass as a dedicated biomass platform.  The U.S. is a close ally of Pakistan and Secretary of State John Kerry visited Pakistan last week. As part of the U.S. support for peace and prosperity in the region, the U.S. through OPIC and USAID (the United States Agency for International Development) is investing in power generation and distribution networks in Pakistan.  The U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has recently provided funding for renewable energy projects including a biomass power plant and is keen to invest in more renewable energy projects in Pakistan.  I have road mapped several projects--in Pakistan, the U.S. and other parts of the world."

VIASPACE Chairman, Dr. Kevin Schewe, commented, "We have been looking for ways to expand the VIASPACE Board of Directors with qualified individuals who can significantly contribute to the ultimate success of our business model and tangibly assist in building value for our shareholders. Mr. Irshad has demonstrated biomass business experience, a network of trusted connections and an entrepreneurial nature that makes him a perfect fit for our team and our goals. We are prioritizing projects with him starting in Pakistan but also extending to Africa, Asia and here in the U.S.  He will also be assisting Dr. Kukkonen with project development as needed. This is another step along the way of strengthening and positioning our Company to become a recognized global leader in dedicated, renewable, biomass energy production and the new carbon-neutral concept of 'Growing Your Electricity'."

About VIASPACE Inc.
VIASPACE grows renewable Giant King^TM Grass as a low-carbon fuel for clean electricity generation; for environmentally friendly energy pellets; and as a feedstock for bio-methane production and for green cellulosic biofuels, biochemicals and biomaterials. Giant King Grass is a proprietary, high yield, dedicated biomass clean energy crop that does not compete with or displace food production. For more information, please go to www.VIASPACE.com or contact Dr. Jan Vandersande, Director of Communications, at 800-517-8050 or [email protected].

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 those 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, 2012, and other factors over which VIASPACE has little or no control.

SOURCE VIASPACE Inc.