Oslo, Norway-based salmon-farming firm Cermaq is rapidly advancing on the second stage of construction at its Chacao Canal Fish Farm (PCC II) in Chile, which the company claims will be the largest and most modern farm in the South American country and one of Cermaq’s most important worldwide.
Cermaq originally announced construction on PCC II in April last year. The facility is projected to cost around USD 100 million (EUR 86 million) in total to construct and will include a smolt production facility with capacity of 14 million smolts per year, for which Cermaq contracted aquaculture technology firm Akva group in a deal valued at USD 32.5 million (EUR 28 million).
Now, the company announced on LinkedIn that the main structure of PCC II is complete.
“This achievement has been possible thanks to the commitment, effort, and teamwork of all those who are part of this project,” Cermaq Project Manager Gonzalo Balbontín said. “A year has passed, and we started with next to nothing – only a few structures – [but] now we see a building that is progressing. We will continue to advance on this, and about 18 companies have been involved between contractors and subcontractors.”
The recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility’s operational launch is projected for the first half of 2026, and its production capacity will make it the company’s largest, Cermaq Chile previously said in a release.
The farm will make use of freshwater, brackish water, and seawater in order to prepare the fish for their grow-out phase, and it will use 11 epidemiological units to improve biosecurity in its production processes.
PCC II will also incorporate sustainable waste management through high-tech sludge treatment in order to reduce waste and transform it into a byproduct to be used in fertilizer. The geographical location – on the Chacao Canal, 60 kilometers from the Chilean city of Puerto Montt – is strategic, according to the firm, as it will permit direct loading onto wellboats, reducing truck movement and optimizing time and resources.
The progression on the Chilean facility comes as Cermaq also recently bought the operations of fellow salmon-farming firm Grieg in British Columbia and Newfoundland, Canada, as well as in Finnmark, Norway, for NOK 10.2 billion (USD 988.3 million, EUR 853 million).
“The companies are already quite aligned in terms of culture and main focus areas. What we believe will happen is the employees of both will learn from each other,” Cermaq CEO Steven Rafferty said of the deal. “On innovation, there are a lot of good things in Grieg and a lot of good things in Cermaq, and we’ll look to take the best of both. When you look at the two companies, because they're quite closely matched, that should be a relatively easy thing to do after integration.”
