Virtual view of Nova Sea's new slaughterhouse in Lovund, Norland, Norway. Construction will start in April and will be completed in late 2025 or early 2026.
Image: Nova Sea.
Plans are on schedule and Nova Sea will be able to start the construction of its new slaughterhouse in Lovund, Nordland, in April. The company, which resumed the project in September after putting it on hold in autumn 2022 following the salmon tax announcement, said at the time that this was the target date but, until now, it had not confirmed who would be its partner in the construction of its new salmon processing plant. This week, we have learned that, finally, the chosen is the Norwegian construction company Consto.
"We are humbled and grateful for the trust Nova Sea has shown us throughout the process we have undergone with them. There has been an optimization process for six weeks. The competition was tough, and we are proud to have entered into a partnership with Nova Sea," Torgeir Ingebrigtsen, Project Development Manager at Consto, said of the agreement.
This is the salmon producer's third agreement for its slaughterhouse in Lovund, following those it already signed with Baader to be its main machinery supplier, and with Nordkontakt for the automation of the facility. As mentioned, the value of the contract between Nova Sea and Consto to build this state-of-the-art processing plant is NOK 673 million (EUR 59 million - USD 64 million), which is included in a total investment framework of over NOK 2 billion (which at the time of the announcement in September was equivalent to EUR 173.95 million - USD 186.59 million).
Together with a group of consultants appointed by Consto, the parties immediately begin a collaborative phase that, with construction scheduled to begin in early April this year, is expected to culminate in project completion in late 2025 or early 2026. According to the construction company, this collaborative way of working leads to close involvement and interaction, which in turn ensures the efficient implementation of the project.
In fact, in recent years, Consto has completed several similar major projects - such as a smolt facility for SalMar, for example - and has developed its expertise in the segment. The company believes this Lovund project fits well with its industrial construction orientation. "We have recently completed the construction of a smolt facility in Trøndelag. We will bring key personnel from there and utilize them in Lovund," stated Ingebrigtsen.
The developer estimates that the project will employ up to 100 full-time equivalents during the construction period, adding that it will have local and regional ripple effects. "We aim to utilize local suppliers and partners to the greatest extent possible. In addition, a project of this magnitude will have very positive ripple effects on the local economy," said Consto's Project Development Manager.
The new salmon processing plant will be connected to Nova Sea's existing administrative building (the red/black one in the image) and will occupy an area of 17,200 square meters.
Nova Sea has always emphasized that its desire with this project is not only to keep up with industry developments but also to be an important social actor in the municipality of Lurøy, to which Lovund belongs, and in the entire Nordland region. With the new slaughterhouse, it estimates that, depending on the activity level, the new facility will help to create between 10 and 40 new jobs on this small island off the coast of Helgeland in addition to those it already has there today.
The new salmon processing plant will cover an area of 17,200 square meters distributed over four floors and will include a cafeteria, locker rooms, meeting rooms and offices, and will be connected to Nova Sea's existing administration building. Its production capacity will be 100,000 tons of salmon per year with the possibility of further expansion.
"We are making a significant investment in Lovund by constructing a new processing plant to ensure the best possible quality for our products and even better fish welfare and health in the processing process. We will increase our processing capacity to include two filleting lines, which will in turn generate more jobs. The old processing plant was becoming cramped, and everything will be better for both our fish and our people with the new building," said Tom Eirik Aasjord, CEO of Nova Sea.
"We have been contributing to the development of communities in Helgeland for over 50 years, and with our new initiative, we are preparing to contribute to positive development in Helgeland for the next 50 years," he added.
Founded as a multi-species fish processing company in Naustholmen, Lovund, in 1985, today's Nova Sea AS is one of the largest producers of farmed salmon in Northern Norway. Still headquartered in Lovund, in Lurøy, it has 25 facilities along the entire Helgeland coast. The company's slaughterhouse is also located in Lovund, and it has ownership interests throughout the value chain of farmed salmon.
Headquartered in Tromsø, Consto Group is one of Norway's leading construction and civil engineering groups, operating in Svalbard, Northern Norway, Central Norway, Western Norway, Southern Norway, and Eastern Norway. The Group also has construction activities in Sweden through its subsidiary, Consto AB. It has approximately 1,250 employees in Norway and Sweden.