Work starting this month on Maine RAS farm site

Great Northern Salmon (GNS), the company looking to build the first recirculating aquaculture system in the US state of Maine, says it is about to start work on preparing the ground at its construction site.

GNS is building a RAS facility with capacity for 10,000 tonnes of salmon annually, in Millinocket, Maine. Pre-construction work is expected to start this month, in collaboration with the site owner, Our Katahdin.

Marianne Naess, CEO of GNS, said: “The work entails decanting the water and removing settlement materials in the lagoon, the location of GNS’s future land-based RAS salmon farm.

“Our close collaboration with the site owner and economic development partner, Our Katahdin, has made it possible to start this work on schedule and progress with the development of our RAS facility.”

Marianne Naess, CEO, Great Northern Salmon

The projected timeline for the pre-construction work is ten months. GNS has contracted Republic Services to execute the project, with Maine-based Sevee & Maher as its lead engineering partner.

The project has received financial support from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, the Northern Borders Regional Commission, Eastern Maine Development Corporation, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The RAS facility will be developed in collaboration with aquaculture supplier Nofitech.

Successful project completion will provide GNS with a fully prepared site for construction, shorten the construction time by more than six months, and eliminate risks associated with excavation and blasting. Geotechnical work on site has also confirmed the glacial till substrate will support the facility’s weight, GNS said.

“Remediation and reuse of the former settlement lagoons on the One North industrial campus is an important milestone for GNS and the local community,” said Steve Sanders, One North’s Director of Mill Site Development. “It is a clear, tangible signal to our partners and supporters that this project is a step towards new investment and renewed industry in our region.”

GNS is now working on closing Series A fundraising and will start detailed design, scheduling, and final estimation of the facility this autumn.

§