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– Puerto Montt, Chile-based Alotta Energy Chile entered into a long-term agreement to supply renewable energy via floating solar-powered plants to Trusal, a branch of Chilean salmon-farming firm Salmones Austral.
The deal includes the construction of one such floating power plant, along with the option to build five more. Alotta will own and operate the energy units, while Trusal has committed to purchasing energy from them for the next 15 years.
Trusal CEO Claudio Melgarejo said that the project aligns with Salmones Austral’s “firm commitment to the sustainable transformation of our production processes [and] actively seeking systems that contribute to reducing our CO2 emissions.”
Trusal noted that the new technology will also make its feeding barges much quieter to run, which will create a more pleasant working environment for staff and likely for fish, as well.
Alotta Energy Chile CEO Kari-Elin Hildre called the agreement “a milestone for Alotta Energy and a clear signal of the industry’s transition away from diesel dependency.”
“Our energy-as-a-service model makes the switch to renewables simple: Alotta owns and operates the plants, and our customers only pay for the green kilowatt-hours we produce. For Trusal, this means cost savings, reduced emissions, and a more sustainable energy mix,” she said.
AKVA group Chile has been tapped to implement Alotta’s floating technology into Trusal’s farms and feeding barges.
In a release about the news, the companies said that over the agreement period, “if all six plants are realized, Trusal will cut around 10 million liters of diesel and avoid nearly 27,000 tons of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of removing 6,000 cars from the road for a year or planting more than 1.3 million trees.”
– Fitjar, Norway-headquartered shipbuilding firm Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted (FMV) has hired Bergen, Norway-based Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) to build a live fish carrier, as well as to integrate and deliver power and automation systems, on the vessel it is constructing for Nova Sea-owned North Salmon Service.
NES, a subsidiary of HAV Group, is a maritime automation company.
NES Managing Director Siv Remøy-Vangen said that he was happy to see activity in the aquaculture sector growing recently “after a quiet period following the 2023 tax changes.”
“This contract follows a constructive dialogue with both the owner and the yard, reflecting a shared focus on vessel performance and long-term value,” Remøy-Vangen said, adding that he hoped the collaboration between FMV and North Salmon Service would be a long-lasting one.
NES will deliver the systems in H2 2026 and H1 2027, the company said in a release.
“We are delivering well-proven power and automation systems to this vessel. Now, we look forward to commencing the work in close cooperation with Fitjar Mekaniske Verksted, North Salmon Service, and our sister company, HAV Design,” NES Vice President of Sales Jan Klokk added.
FMV CEO Hugo Strand said that he was “convinced [NES] will be a reliable and competent supplier to FMV and also pull their weight when the ship enters operations.”
