Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett AS, Kvarøy Arctic’s parent company, is investing NOK 125 million (USD 14 million, EUR 12 million) to upgrade and expand its Kvarøy Smolt facility.
As a result, Kvarøy Smolt will have the capacity to produce up to 10 million smolt per year – nearly double its current volume – with a smaller energy footprint than its current production model, the supplier said in a press release.
The upgraded facility will reduce energy consumption by up to 50 percent, while optimizing growing conditions and welfare for the fish, according to Kvarøy.
“This investment means we have better control in the smolt phase of production and that ultimately leads to increased production of fish,” Kvarøy Arctic and Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett CEO Alf-Gøran Knutsen said. “This project also lifts the total sustainability in our overall production of fish.”
Located inside Mo Industrial Park in Mo i Rana, Norway, Kvarøy said the upgraded facility has ample access to water and surplus heat from surrounding industry.
“This synergistic relationship and resource preservation is intrinsic to the ethos of Kvarøy Arctic and a step into the future of more efficient smolt-production techniques,” Kvarøy said.
Kvarøy Smolt will renovate two production halls, install a new energy and treatment plant, create a new administration building, and optimize water quality throughout the production. New steel tanks from AKVA Group, which hold around 190,000 liters of water each, will be installed to nearly double the volume of smolt production.
“Each tank will utilize an oxygen recovery and CO2-stripping system, which reduces water consumption,” Kvarøy said.
Mo Industripark’s companies have a reputation for their sustainable use of resources, and Kvarøy Smolt is one of several companies striving to build a circular system through the Moakvaponi pilot program, the company said.
Research is underway to determine if cleaned and dried waste from Kvarøy Smolt can be used to grow vegetables on a large scale inside the industrial park. The project is in cooperation with SINTEF, Mo Industrial Park, and BaRe department Mo i Rana.
Photo courtesy of Kvarøy Arctic
