Mowi is considering shutting down its futuristic “Egg” salmon farm project

by
editorial staff

Salmon farmer has still not yet cracked the ocean-based closed containment and semi-closed farm design and will make a final decision in September.

On Tuesday, SalmonBusiness was able to announce that Hauge Aqua, which owns the technology for “Egg”, will place a smaller version of the closed solution in the Romsdals fjord, Western Norway, during spring 2020.

Made in Norway, the closed technology makes it far easier to avoid both lice and escapes. In addition, waste is collected at the bottom of the “Egg” to be used as biofuel.

The “Post smolt egg” is thought to be a precursor to the large “Egg”, for which Mowi has been granted development permits. In December 2017, the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries partially accepted Mowi’s application and granted six development permits for the concept, but the company had originally applied for 14 permits. In addition, the company has been rejected for building the “Egg” in steel instead of composite.

When Mowi presented the figures for the second quarter on Wednesday, CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog stated that the company is now considering dropping the entire “Egg”, writes Sysla. According to Aarskog, building it in composite materials will mean that production costs will be as high as today.

“When we received less than half of the licenses applied for, we gradually saw the production cost become too high. It is unrealistic to build as the original plans suggested,” said Aarskog.

According to Aarskog, the company will either build the eggs in the composite as originally planned or will scrap the entire project.

“We will make a final decision during the autumn,” said Aarskog.

Mowi has also previously hinted to SalmonBusiness that they might not realize the project if they did not receive more development permits.

The CEO of Hauge Aqua, Cato Lyngøy, told Sysla that he has no comment, other than that they will meet Mowi in September and consider the way forward.

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