Great Northern Salmon (GNS) has entered a strategic partnership with Eyvi to develop a land-based fish-farming facility in in Millinocket, Maine, U.S.A.
GNS, formerly known as Katahdin Salmon, is planning a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility capable of farming 7,500 metric tons (MT) of salmon a year. The company was formed by Xcelerate Aqua and is building its salmon farm on the site of the now-defunct Great Northern Paper Co. paper mill.
Eyvi, a Norway-based supplier of aquaculture systems, has already successfully developed the 8,000 MT trout farm operated by Hima in Rjukan, Norway – currently the world’s largest land-based trout farm. GNS said that farm is of similar size to its facility, and Eyvi’s owners have also made significant investments in the potential salmon farm.
The company is also currently building a facility for Arctic Seafarm in Nesna, Norway, which has a Phase 1 buildout of 8,000 MT.
“We are impressed by the experience and design thinking at Eyvi,” GNS CEO Marianne Naess said. “Equally important are the synergies we have identified from collaborating on U.S. aquaculture development, and strategic investment from some of Eyvi’s owners into Great Northern Salmon.”
According to Eyvi, it has so far contributed to the design and delivery of 24 production facilities, including 62 RAS departments.
“The attention to detail in harnessing the full potential of RAS salmon production and understanding the U.S. market at Great Northern Salmon has impressed us,” Eyvi Chief Business Development Officer Heidi Kyvik said. “We see that we have much to offer each other as we develop our regenerative production strategies for trout and salmon in the U.S. market.”
The two companies said more information about the partnership will be announced soon.
In an update on LinkedIn, GNS said that it is finalizing worksite prep where the facility is planned to be constructed. The company selected the former settling lagoon of the paper mill as its future site, which was once used for wastewater treatment at the facility. The site is a designated U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) brownfield location, which also has access to 100 percent renewable energy in the form of local hydropower.
Part of the project's funding comes from a USD 5 million (EUR 4.4 million) U.S. EPA grant which is helping to cover the costs of remediating the site in preparation for the new facility.
“We, along with involved partners, are now draining out the last of the winter water from the large lagoon,” GNS said in its LinkedIn post. “Then, we are removing the remaining aeration systems and sludge that is being mixed with Portland cement to create a stable fill material in situ. The final result later this year is a fully excavated site ready for construction, with some very nice cost savings.”
A week earlier, the company said it had its first day on site of 2025 with the arrival of spring and had begun removing the aeration system from the lagoon.
