U.S. marks first for hydropower

ALBUQUERQUE, April 22 (UPI) -- The startup of the first U.S. hydropower project in New Mexico completed with federal stimulus money is a milestone for a clean energy future, an official said.

The Abiquiu hydropower project opened this week in New Mexico. The plant is the first such completed project funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a federal stimulus package passed in 2009.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the project was an example of how reinvestment goes hand-in-hand with a clean energy future.

"Hydropower projects at both new and existing facilities will play an important role in meeting President (Barack) Obama's bold but ambitious goal of generating 80 percent of America's electricity from clean energy sources by 2035," he said.

The hydropower project will increase local energy production from renewable resources by 22 percent, meaning 1,100 homes in Los Alamos County will have their energy demands met through the project.