Pure Salmon to begin Brunei RAS within nine months
On-land fish farmer Pure Salmon will begin construction of its most recently announced project, a 10,000-tonne per annum recirculating aquaculture system facility in Brunei, in the third quarter of next year.
The US $180 million RAS plant is being developed in partnership with the Brunei government’s Strategic Development Capital Fund, Brunei Darussalam.
Once complete the project will generate up to 145 local jobs, Pure Salmon’s owner, Singapore-headquartered 8F Asset Management, said in a press release.
260,000 tonnes per year
Local staff recruited to the facility will receive training from Pure Salmon, including practical training on-site in one the company’s facilities.
This will initially take place in Poland, where Pure Salmon runs a RAS facility in conjunction with its technology provider, AquaMaof. The site produces just 580 tonnes of salmon but has value to both companies as a training and R&D facilities.
Pure Salmon intends to produce 260,000 tonnes of salmon a year at RAS facilities built close to population centres around the world.
$20m in aid
Work was due to start on a 10,000-tonne plant in Japan by the end of this year, and Pure Salmon has also agreed to build a US $250m 20,000-tonne plant in landlocked Lesotho, which is surrounded by the territory of South Africa.
The company has also been promised $20m in state aid for a 20,000-tonne facility in Tazewell County, Virginia, in the United States, and has plans to build on-land farms in either France or Italy, and in China.
However, to date the Poland site is the only one that is up and running.
Growing population
Speaking about the Brunei development, Karim Ghannam, board director of Pure Salmon and chief executive and co-founder of 8F, said: “Our aims as a company are to address the supply of clean, healthy, locally produced protein while providing increased opportunities for the local community.
“The project puts Brunei at the leading edge of innovation in sustainable food production, addressing the increasing demand from a continuously growing population, while contributing to the food security of the country.”
As part of the project the 8F and Pure Salmon Foundation will implement social and educational initiatives in partnership with local schools and universities in Brunei to support greater education on healthy eating and nutrition for children in the region.
