Salmon farmer will lower the cages into seabed linking latest subsea and offshore fish farming tech.
“This is the largest development project we have ever planned. Aquastorm will move the cages out of the fjords, and down into deep water where the fish are protected from salmon lice, disease and weather,” said Mowi project manager Henrik Trengereid.
The company has applied for 36 development licenses to make “AquaStorm” happen and a clarification of the application is expected in the coming months.
According to NRK, Mowi has patented the concept, and this is the reason why the plans are now being presented for the first time now.
Fully automated
The cages will initially be kept 15m below the sea’s surface and will be lowered at least 50m if weather conditions require.
The farms will be connected to a central onshore location ensuring remote control of feeding, air, light, power and signals. This is done through pipelines and cables that extend from shore to the plants. Feed spills and waste will also be returned to the land facility for treatment via the same pipelines. The farms will be autonomous and without staffing during normal operation.
“This concept is fully automated, and everything will be monitored from an onshore control centre. There we will have full control of how the fish have it, that it gets food and that all the technology works as it should,” said Trengereid.
100 kilometres
In the first Aquastorm project, the facilities will be placed up to twelve km from the coast. However, with the technology the company will use, it will be theoretically possible to establish such facilities up to 100 kilometres from shore.
“Today, the areas the fish farming industry has for production are limited. This technology opens up enormous areas for future growth of sustainable aquaculture in Norway,” said Trengereid. He emphasised that for it to see the light of day (or rather the dark of the ocean), it all depends on authorities granting the project enough permits.
Contributing to the project, Mowi has a number of leading technology partner from the subsea and oil industries. In addition to Nofima and Sintef as R&D partners, Mowi also has Aqualine, Kongsberg, ABB and Stellarman on the team.
Mowi wants the project to be carried out in Roan municipality in Trøndelag, Central Norway, and it is estimated that the project will create up yo 60 new jobs.
