£10m land-based unit ‘biggest order ever’ for AKVA

Plastsveis, in cooperation with Aquatec Solutions - both wholly owned subsidiaries of AKVA group - will build the facility at Osan in Nærøy municipality. The order is the biggest in AKVA Norway’s history.

Ole Gabriel Kverneland, sales manager land-based with AKVA group, told fishfarmingexpert.com: “It’s a really big deal for us and a very interesting project where we can put together all the best solutions from our subsidiaries in the group. It’s putting all our best qualities together into one big contract.

“Plastsveis specialises in what we call tank technology – supplying the fish tanks, all the pipe system technology, platforms, walkways, more or less from the water treatment systems and out to the fish and back – creating an environment for fish farming.

Asked about a time frame for completion of the facility, he said: “It would probably be roughly one and a half years I would estimate, but not everything is decided 100 per cent yet.”

Denitrification technology

Kverneland added that the facility would have the capacity to adapt to the varying demands of the smolt market. “At this stage this project is not for big smolt, but it has flexibility - to be able to produce regular smolt when and if they need that, and also adapt to be able to supply bigger smolt.”

The facility has a strong focus on recycling water. “Definitely,” says Kverneland. “This is one of the few sites to be equipped with what we call denitrification technology, so it is really water-conserving. It is very efficient for the environment and also offers stability for the fish and predictability for the fish farmer.”

Essential expertise

Roald Dolmen of Midt-Norsk Havbruk said: “We have followed the development of technology for smolt production carefully for several years, and technology has made quantum leaps in recent years. We have visited a number of facilities both at home and abroad, and have done thorough groundwork for our choice of technology and supplier. Most important for our choices are water quality and focus on biology. As an integrated salmon producer we are dependent on selecting technology that provides the best assumptions for meeting the fish's biological needs and that forms the basis of a production that gives a supreme quality product.

“We are also concerned with finding a supplier that possesses the essential expertise required to be a competent sparring partner. This is important in order for us to build a state of the art facility that ensures a dependable and effective production. Our choice was thus Plastsveis and AKVA group, with whom we have developed a trusting relationship through close partnership on several other occasions.

Environmentally friendly

“The development we are about to start is based on the very latest technological principles in water recycling, allowing us to establish an extremely environmentally friendly facility that minimises our footprint on the environment.”

Kverneland added: “We're extremely grateful that Midt-Norsk Havbruk has chosen Plastsveis and AKVA group as partners for this interesting project. We're particularly pleased to work with a customer who genuinely recognizes the value of close collaboration in this type of project.

“As a supplier we have long had a clear strategy on standing out with a recycling technology that provides superior water quality, which provides the best prerequisites for the biomass and which enable the fish farmer to carry out his work in a safe and efficient manner.”