Nordic Aquafarms has announced that the company’s board of directors has approved an investment plan for a proposed recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility in Humboldt County, California.
The proposal will be the second land-based RAS facility the company is planning, and the first on the West Coast of the United States. The investment in the facility could potentially reach USD 400 million (EUR 362 million).
According to a release by Nordic, locating the farm on the West Coast follows the company’s strategy of locating facilities near the markets it plans to serve.
“We are now proceeding on both U.S. coastlines after having verified ideal development sites, competitive solutions for power and clean water access, and overall favorable conditions for development ” Erik Heim, president of Nordic Aquafarms Inc., said. “The Humboldt location will enable us to reach more than 50 million people within a 12-hour drive or less, which reduces the cost and environmental impact of transportation while supplying the market with sustainably raised local fish.”
Nordic Aquafarms first announced plans for the new RAS in California back in February. The facility is planned for a 30-acre plot on the Samoa peninsula, near the town of Eureka, on the site of a former paper mill.
According to the release, the company plans to start recruiting employees locally to support increasing activities at the Humboldt County site.
“In the first phase the company is looking for a Humboldt-based Project Director and an Engineering Manager who will work closely with the rest of the Nordic Aquafarms' organization in permitting and designing the facility,” the company wrote. “We will continue with our extensive outreach in the community and permanently staff our office on Third Street in Eureka. Once local management is in place, we encourage residents to stop by the office to get acquainted with the project.”
The company added that it plans to hold a public information meeting on the project on 14 November, and that it expects permit applications to be submitted in the summer of 2020.
Image courtesy of Nordic Aquafarms
