Norway-based Nordic Aquafarms has cleared a new legal hurdle in its bid to build a land-based salmon farm in the rural Maine city of Belfast.

A ruling by Waldo Superior Court in Maine upheld the city of Belfast decision in favor of the project in following a lawsuit from a neighbor in 2018.

The court found that there were no genuine issues of fact that could possibly serve to justify reversal of the city council’s adoption of the amendments to the comprehensive plan and its zoning ordinances.

“Nordic Aquafarms has remained confident that the court would rule in favor of the city, but the ruling came quicker than expected," Nordic Aquafarms Commercial Director Marianne Naess said. "We remain confident that the project will move forward and that we have a solid legal position.”

While some opposition to the proposed Nordic Aquafarms project continues, support for the project is growing in Maine, the company said, citing a petition to provide supporting testimony in the ongoing permitting process in Maine by the University of New England and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

Nordic Aquafarms' permit approvals are in the pipeline and the company waits for the green light to start with the construction plans.

"With this matter now resolved, all parties can now more confidently move forward with local, state, and federal permit application requirements,” Wayne Marshall, director of code and planning for the city of Belfast said in response to the court’s decision.

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Nordic Aquafarms Maine land-based project clears new legal hurdle