Gigante takes big step towards production

Norwegian land-based fish farmer Gigante Salmon has reached a major milestone for its new plant, with the farm’s nursery pool now filled with sea water.

The company is building one of Norway’s most advanced RAS (recirculating aquaculture system) facilities, on the island of Lille Indre Rosøya in Rødøy, and flooding the nursery pool is an important step towards starting the first production cycle.

Functional testing of production equipment is ongoing, the company said, with the target of releasing smolt as soon as the test period has been completed.

Gigante’s CEO, Helge E. W. Albertsen, said: “The initial test run is positive, everything is working as planned and we have not encountered any unforeseen challenges.”

The land-based salmon farming facility, which is still under construction, will start the production process in production unit no.3. The two remaining production units will be completed during 2024, with a final completion of the total plant in the second half of 2024.

In September this year, the company said in a stock exchange announcement that the project was going to cost around NOK 200m (£15m) more than originally planned, thanks to increased energy and construction costs.