From left: the Mayor of Rianxo, Julián Bustelo, the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, CEO of Stolt Sea Farm, Jordi Trías, and Galician Fisheries Minister, Marta Villaverde.
Photo: Xunta de Galicia
Sole and turbot farming company Stolt Sea Farm (SSF) has begun construction of a new €45 million food processing and research and development centre in Rianxo, A Coruña, Spain.
The start of work was marked by a groundbreaking ceremony attended by the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, who highlighted Galicia’s leadership in aquaculture and called for continued investment in the sector.
Rueda thanked Stolt Sea Farm for what he described as its strong commitment to the region, saying the company was “a part of that 'Galicia Quality' that we export everywhere”. He emphasised the importance of maintaining Galicia’s role as “a reference point” in aquaculture and described such projects as “industries of the future” that contribute to food sovereignty and sustainable economic growth.
According to the regional government, the Xunta de Galicia, the new facility represents an investment of around €45 million and is expected to create 173 direct jobs, and forms part of a broader effort to strengthen Galicia’s strategic position in aquaculture.
The aquaculture sector in Galicia currently includes more than 2,500 companies, employs about 4,500 people and generates an annual turnover of over €247 million.
Galicia is also the European Union’s leading producer of farmed turbot and Spain’s top producer of sole.
The Galician government has identified aquaculture as a strategic industry, recently approving almost €60 million in sectoral aid and designating 18 industrial projects as strategic, including Stolt Sea Farm’s new Rianxo centre.
Stolt Sea Farm, which operates seven farms in Galicia including what it says is the world’s largest land-based turbot facility in Cervo, described the new Rianxo development as a "key milestone" in its long-term growth strategy.
The first phase of the project will cover 21,500 square metres and employ over 100 skilled local workers. Once completed, the site will package whole sole and value-added sole and turbot products, and is expected to process more than 14,000 tonnes annually.
The facility will also feature a new research and development laboratory aimed at expanding food safety and product innovation capabilities.
“This investment marks a key milestone in our journey to transform our business and offer the best possible experience for our customers and consumers,” said Jordi Trias, President of Stolt Sea Farm. “The Centre is not just a new facility, it is central to our vision for a future built on innovation, quality, and a deep understanding of evolving consumer expectations.”
Last October, the Spanish-headquartered company, which is part of Stolt-Nielsen Limited group, began construction of a new RAS facility in Tocha, Portugal, supporting its goal to double sole production over the next three years and reach a combined 23,000 tonnes of annual production by 2035.
In March of this year, Stolt-Nielsen indicated that SSF was looking to expand into the US, and was in the process of "actively screening" potential sites for its RAS sole-farming technology, followed by the news in April that it had secured Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification for all its farms, the only farmed turbot producer in the world to do so.
