Ravdu's land-based Arctic char farm in Luleå, with a capacity of 10,000 tons, will occupy an area equivalent to between 9 and 10 football fields.
Image: Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten.
Swedish agricultural organization Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten (Household Society of Norrbotten-Västerbotten) announced that, last Friday—and after a several-year process—Sweden's Land and Environment Court granted it the environmental permit for a 10,000-tons land-based fish farm in Sunderbyn, Luleå Municipality.
The permit was obtained through Ravdu AB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten, which will carry out the construction of the fish farm, whose zoning plan covers 6.5 hectares of land owned by Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten, equivalent to 9–10 football fields.
The plan includes three large farming halls, which, as mentioned, will produce approximately 10,000 tons of fish annually once the facility is fully developed. Specifically, the announcement from Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten mentions producing 10,000 tons of Arctic char, although it also stated that the permit covers salmon and rainbow trout, allowing flexibility in the species farmed.
"We finally have the environmental permit in our hands, and this is a huge day not only for us but for all of Norrbotten as a food-producing region. We will begin by farming Arctic char, which is an excellent food fish. We will sell it in grocery stores and to restaurants," said Mikael Kivijärvi, Project Manager at Ravdu AB.
According to Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten, the new facility will be unique because, to obtain the permit, Sweden's Land and Environment Court imposed stricter environmental requirements than those previously applied to any facility in an Arctic climate.
Ravdu's land-based fish farm in Sunderbyn, located, as said, in Luleå Municipality, on the east coast of northern Sweden, will meet record-high requirements for nitrogen purification in an Arctic climate, making it a world leader in this field.
Thus, the Swedish agricultural organization emphasized that the environmental authorization now granted demonstrates that Luleå's 10,000-ton Arctic char fish farm can meet these high standards.
"Our fish farm will take a leading position in the market because it will be the first in the world to use the new technology that meets these stricter environmental requirements. In the long term, our goal is to build more facilities in the county and also farm other species such as salmon and rainbow trout," explained Jörgen Ericsson, Chairman of the Board of Ravdu AB.
The decision by Sweden's Land and Environment Court marks a significant milestone for the Ravdu project, which began in 2018 and, with the granting of the environmental permit, now enters a phase aimed at securing the necessary investments to begin construction of the facility.
"Now that the environmental permitting process is finally complete, we can open the door for investors to become part of the next generation of fish farming," said Petter Antti, CEO of the Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten and CEO of Ravdu AB.
"This is where it begins—in Norrbotten—and we will show the world the way forward," he continued, emphasizing the importance of the project for this province located in the far north of the country.
The Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten release highlighted that the farm, which could generate 60 direct jobs, will also provide a significant boost to food production in Norrbotten.
Both in Norrbotten and throughout Sweden, efforts are underway to increase the country's food self-sufficiency, meaning the proportion of food produced domestically without the need for imports. As Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten emphasized, this project is intended to contribute to this trend.
"This is very positive news for Sweden's preparedness. Given the uncertain global situation, it is important that we strengthen our own food production," Mikael Kivijärvi stated.
"When the fish farm in Sunderbyn is completed in its planned first phase, producing 3,000 tons of Arctic char per year, it will increase Sweden's total food fish production by approximately thirty percent," Ravdu's Project Manager concluded.
Ravdu's fish farm in Sunderbyn joins other land-based aquaculture projects that we have heard about lately in Sweden, such as Big Akwa's rainbow trout farm in Ånge, in the province of Västernorrland; the circular fish and shrimp farm to be developed by Umeå University in this city in the province of Västerbotten; or Smögenlax Aquaculture's project to produce Atlantic salmon in the town of Kungshamn, in Sotenäs Municipality, province of Västra Götaland.