Green light for Swiss Blue Salmon

The project to build Switzerland's largest land-based salmon farm in Mollis, Glarus Nord, has reached another milestone, the company has announced.

Swiss Blue Salmon, which plans to construct the country's largest fish farming facility with a 7% domestic market share, has confirmed it has secured initial financing from Glarus Cantonal Bank's Foundation for a strong Glarus Region.

The Swiss canton of Glarus in east-central Switzerland has also said it will implement the necessary zoning regulations for the project by summer 2024 - a crucial step before the formal construction application can move ahead in autumn this year.

In addition to liaising with authorities, Swiss Blue Salmon says it also plans to engage the community through information events in Glarus Nord and the industrial area "Biäsche" to ensure transparency and local involvement.

The project involves a total investment of CHF 170 million (EUR 178m / USD 190 million) and is planned to create 50 jobs.

The Glarus Cantonal Bank has come onboard the project alongside Swiss engineering and construction companies ERNE and HOLINGER.

"This project has the potential to provide a sustainable innovation boost in the Glarus region, which is why the foundation board has decided to support the start of this project," said foundation board president Urs P. Gnos in a German-language statement.

Swiss Blue Salmon CEO Ruedi Ryf said the project "embodies value creation, jobs, image, and innovation potential for the entire region," and highlighted the company's focus on sustainability.

"Our 100-percent fish strategy follows the circular economy approach, utilizing as much of the fish as possible. By-products from processing can be used as raw materials for sustainable Swiss dog and cat food or as an Omega-3 source for the production of dietary supplements," Ryf added.

In 2022, Swiss Blue Salmon said it was partnering with DANTECH to ensure byproduct capturing and sidestream processing would become an integrated part of the factory design installation.

The facility will also incorporate 17,000m2 of solar panels to contribute to the farm's energy needs, which are projected to generate around 2,500 MWh per year.

Last year, the Swiss land-based company announced it had signed a contract with the Norwegian RAS engineering specialist VAQ to design the RAS for its facility, which once fully operational will have an annual production capacity of 3,400 tonnes.