Nordic Aquafarms clears crucial hurdles in Maine, but will not start building anytime soon
Company's executive vice president detailed the next steps for the massive land-based salmon farm.
Nordic Aquafarms' massive land-based salmon project in Maine has cleared several legal challenges over the past few years, but the company is still not yet ready to begin construction.
"Nordic is still doing final engineering and pre-construction planning," Marianne Naess, executive vice president of Nordic Aquafarms, told IntraFish. "This is a 8-9 month process and we don't anticipate to break ground before that work is completed."
A Maine Superior Court in October ruled opponents to Nordic Aquafarms' land-based salmon project in the state possess no land ownership rights impacting Nordic’s project, and that their alleged conservation easement does not exist over the Norway-based company's project area.
The ruling cleared one major hurdle for the company: the court case prevented Nordic Aquafarms from even moving forward with construction due to uncertainty surrounding its outcome. But in December Maine's Attorney General asked a Maine court to recognize the validity of the conservation easement, reported Maine Public Radio.
Nordic in August received the last permit necessary to proceed with the construction of its 33,000 metric-ton facility, it said.
The facility will cost about $250 million (€221 million) each -- bringing the total up to $500 million (€442 million), a chunk financed with loans.
NAF has positioned itself on both US coastlines – in Maine and California. The site in Humboldt, California is expected to produce 27,000 metric tons of product annually.
In California, the company is progressing with the release of an environmental impact report, according to the local news site KRCR.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the Maine facility will be built in two equal phases to produce 10,000 to 12,000 metric tons per phase.
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