Helgeland Smolt AS, where the farming company Nova Sea AS in Lovund owns almost 75 percent of the shares, is ready for the construction of a new smolt plant in Kilvika in Meløy. During the summer, the spade is put into the ground. According to the plans, a new and modern building will deliver the first smolt in spring 2026. In a press release it is said that they are now in final negotiations with several different contractors. When fully operational, the facility will generate 20 new jobs in Meløy.
Happy and proud
– Today we are just so incredibly happy and proud that we are starting construction in Kilvika. In order to be able to develop both us as a company, get even better fish, and at the same time be an important social actor in Salten and on Helgeland, it is absolutely essential to get this project started, says general manager Tor-Arne Gransjøen of Helgeland Smolt AS.
He is satisfied that the company’s owners say yes to the project and the investment.
– We are incredibly proud of what we create as a company, says Gransjøen.
Norway’s freshest fish
There are two important reasons why the green light has now been given for the construction of this facility. Point one is about fish health and biosecurity.
– It is our goal to have Norway’s freshest fish. Space is getting tight in the two facilities we already have. The flexibility a new facility gives us will provide better conditions for all the smolt we produce, says Gransjøen.
He emphasizes that a fresh and robust smolt from their facility means that the salmon have the best conditions for further growth in the sea.
– That is why a new facility is very important to us, so that we can continue this into the future, writes Tor-Arne Gransjøen in the press release.
Point two is about securing and developing an entire supplier industry, which has had tough times since October last year when the ground rent proposal was launched.
Was put on hold
In the press release, it is pointed out that the plans for this new smolt plant in Kilvika was one of the investments that was put on hold when the announcement about the new ground rent tax on salmon farming came out. Now construction is being started, despite the decision on higher taxation.
– We have a responsibility for our fish and for our suppliers. This responsibility is more important to us than the ground rent, even if the investment is significantly more demanding to realize than before the ground rent tax came in, writes chairman Tom Eirik Aasjord.
The plant has an investment framework of over one billion kroner.
To ensure the best possible fish health, the smolt facility is divided into 12 zones. The facility will have a capacity to produce 10 million smolt with a weight of 600 grams.
2023-07-07 19:50:06
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