Kvarøy Arctic’s parent company Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett is investing US$16 million in the upgrade and expansion of its Kvarøy Smolt facility.
The upgraded facility at Mo Industripark will reduce energy consumption by up to 50% while optimising growing conditions and welfare for the fish. It will allow Kvarøy Smolt to produce up to 10 million smolt per year – nearly double its current volume – with a smaller energy footprint than its current production model.
“This investment means we have better control in the smolt phase of production and that ultimately leads to increased production of fish,” said Kvarøy Arctic and Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett chief executive, Alf-Gøran Knutsen. “This project also lifts the total sustainability in our overall production of fish.”
Kvarøy Smolt will renovate two production halls, install a new energy and treatment plant, create a new administration building and optimise water quality throughout the production. New steel tanks from AKVA Group, each holding approximately 190,000 litres of water, will be installed with each tank using an oxygen recovery and CO2 stripping system which reduces water consumption.
Mo Industripark’s companies have a reputation for their sustainable use of resources. To reduce its energy consumption, Kvarøy Smolt buys hot water from the adjacent Mo Fjernvarme and uses the residual cooling water from nearby Elkem Rana’s furnaces.
Research is also underway to determine if cleaned and dried waste from Kvarøy Smolt can be used to grow vegetables on a large scale inside the industrial park.
