Application for a Permit for a Post-Smolt Facility in Sirevåg
NorSea is applying for a permit to develop a post-smolt facility in Sirevåg, Jæren. The facility could create 20-30 permanent jobs and several positive ripple effects in the traditional fishing port.
“Sirevåg has been identified as an almost perfect area for a land-based post-smolt facility. There are many important prerequisites for such a facility, such as access to water and power, good port conditions, and available land. The conditions here are very favorable. Additionally, it’s exciting to develop an area with strong, long-standing fishing industry traditions to meet future needs,” says John Olaf Næsheim, business developer at NorSea.
NorSea and the consultancy Blue Planet are behind the permit application, which was presented to the municipal council in Hå yesterday. The companies have been in dialogue with the municipality, Lyse, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, and players in the aquaculture industry to lay the groundwork for the application. So far, the feedback has been very positive.
“We have signed an option agreement for the site with Hå municipality. Sirevåg, with its established maritime business and port area, is well-positioned to deliver post-smolt both to existing and potential future offshore aquaculture operations,” says Næsheim, who is also involved in the permit application that NorSea has submitted for a post-smolt facility in Hammerfest.
The site in Sirevåg is 30 acres large. Infrastructure needed for such a facility, such as a quay, road, and electricity, is already in place.
The aquaculture industry is one of Norway’s most important industries, and the ambitions for future growth are significant. Several leading aquaculture companies have invested in post-smolt facilities in recent years. In short, this means that salmon fry are kept longer in controlled environments on land. When the salmon are released into the sea, they weigh up to one kilogram. The facility in Sirevåg is expected to produce between 8,000 and 10,000 tonnes of post-smolt if realized.
The facility is expected to cost between 1.6 and 2.5 billion kroner, and the planning and construction phase is around five years. In other words, there is still much work to be done, but we are on our way!
