Brookfield Renewable Files Form 20-F Registration Statement with the SEC

HAMILTON, BERMUDA--(Marketwire - April 30, 2012) - Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners L.P. (TSX:BEP.UN) ("Brookfield Renewable") announced today that it has filed a Registration Statement on Form 20-F to register its limited partnership units ("L.P. units") with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

A Form 20-F, once declared effective by the SEC, allows certain foreign issuers to register securities with the SEC pursuant to applicable U.S. securities laws. Brookfield Renewable's registration of its L.P. units with the SEC would allow the L.P. units to be listed on a national securities exchange in the United States. Brookfield Renewable intends to apply to list its L.P. units on the New York Stock Exchange.

"Today's filing is consistent with our objective of expanding and diversifying our investor base, and further enhancing our access to international markets in keeping with the global nature of our business," said Richard Legault, CEO of Brookfield Renewable.

The Form 20-F is being filed on EDGAR and SEDAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml and www.sedar.com, respectively.

Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners (TSX:BEP.UN) operates one of the largest publicly-traded, pure-play renewable power platforms globally. Its portfolio is primarily hydroelectric and totals approximately 5,000 megawatts of installed capacity. Diversified across 67 river systems and 10 power markets in Canada, the United States and Brazil, the portfolio generates enough electricity from renewable resources to power two million homes on average each year. With a fully-contracted portfolio of high-quality assets and strong growth prospects, the business is positioned to generate stable, long-term cash flows supporting regular and growing cash distributions to unitholders. For more information, please visit www.brookfieldrenewable.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of the Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the intention to apply for listing on the New York Stock Exchange or obtaining effectiveness of the registration statement on Form 20-F from the SEC. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "will", "expected", "intend", "continue", and "targets", or variations of such words and phrases. Although Brookfield Renewable believes its anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, they can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information as such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Brookfield Renewable to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information.