Proximar laying firm foundations in Japan
The construction of an on-land salmon farm for Norwegian company Proximar Seafood is well under way in Japan. The chief executive says the next big milestone will be to get the ova put in next year.
At the foot of Mount Fuji, recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) builder AquaMaof is busy over construction.
Proximar aims to produce 6,300 tonnes of salmon annually at the facility, which is about an hour’s drive from Tokyo. The company will use fresh water from a depth of 100 metres and plans to harvest fish of around five kilos
On schedule
Chief executive Joachim Nielsen gave a presentation on the company’s future plans during the third day of the NASF digital conference.
He told Fish Farming Expert’s Norwegian sister site, Kyst.no, that the construction work that started on 19 March at the land-based facility at Oyama Town (Shizuoka) in Japan was progressing well.
“The first pipes are now in place on the ground. The construction work has started as planned and is progressing according to schedule,” said Nielsen. “Right now, the first part of pipe installation is under way, as well as excavation, foundation and concrete work related to biofilters.”
Hatchery
The next big milestone for the company will be the completion of a hatchery and depuration facility, which should be ready in a little over a year.
“It is also at this time that we want to put in the first ova and thus get started with production,” Nielsen said.
The Proximar boss revealed that the company is now working on several processes.
£3.84 per kilo
“But first and foremost, the construction process takes a lot of focus. In addition, we’re building the organisation with both project and operation in mind. We have also put in place a new board, which is a natural development as the company is now in a new phase.”
The board consists of board chair Katrine Trovik and board members Per Grieg, Espen Aubert and Fridtjof Falck.
At full capacity in the first phase, the company is scheduled to produce 5,300 tonnes (head on gutted). The company then plans to expand. Proximar Seafood estimates a production cost per kilo of NOK 45 (£3.84) for phase one. In the next phase, the costs will be reduced to NOK 40 per kilo.
