Andfjord Salmon
Andfjord Salmon Group AS has announced faster-than-expected development of the waterways for its land-based aquaculture facility at Kvalnes, Andøya. The company reports a significant increase in the completion rate of tunnel construction, crucial for providing fresh seawater to the facility’s pools.
Since the first quarter results were reported on May 29, 2024, the tunnel construction completion rate has accelerated, jumping from 38% to 57% within just one month, the company reports. These waterways, comprising inlet and outlet tunnels, are essential to support Andfjord Salmon’s target production of 40,000 tonnes of salmon at Kvalnes, explained CEO Martin Rasmussen in a press release.
“Construction of the waterways is underground work that exposes us to ground conditions. To make 20 percent progress in such a short time period is important as it helps to de-risk one of the most challenging parts of the Kvalnes build-out,” Ramussen said.
In the initial phase of the Kvalnes build-out, Andfjord Salmon is constructing four new pools, aiming to boost production capacity to 8,000 tonnes HOG (head-on gutted) by 2025.
The company plans to gradually increase total production capacity to 40,000 tonnes HOG between 2025 and 2030. This phase includes the development of shared infrastructure, such as waterways and a harbour area, to support future production.
Progress is also being made on two other ongoing workstreams: the harbour area and concrete pools, the company has reported. The harbour area construction is currently 42% complete, up from 36% on May 29, 2024.
Meanwhile, the progress on the facility's concrete pools has reached 12% completion, compared with 8% at the end of May, with steel reinforcements and foundation work "moving ahead as scheduled", Andfjord Salmon said.