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Aquaculture Magazine reports:
All ongoing workstreams for Andfjord Salmon Group build-out at Kvalnes, Andøya, show solid progress, assured from the Norwegian company: the next two pools are starting to take shape. As of some days ago, the waterways, including inlet and outlet tunnel, had reached 73 percent completion – a noticeable increase from 57 percent in early July this year.
According to Martin Rasmussen, CEO of Andfjord Salmon: “Just before the summer we reported faster than expected progress for the development of our waterways. I am pleased to share today that the performance has been equally strong throughout August, following scheduled reduced activity in July. The waterways are the arteries that supply water to the flow-through systems in our pools, so they are key to our expansion.”
Increasing total production capacity
In this first phase of the Kvalnes build-out, Andfjord Salmon is completing four new pools, increasing total production capacity to 8,000 tonnes HOG by 2025. This initial phase includes developing shared infrastructure such as waterways and a harbor area that will support future production of 40,000 tonnes salmon at Kvalnes.
The harbor area workstream is currently at 48 percent completion, up from 42 percent since early July.
The pool construction workstream is also progressing in line with Andfjord Salmon’s build-out plan. Completion currently stands at 12 percent, up from 8 percent in early July. Concrete elements for the pools are being produced on-site, utilizing raw materials from pool pits and tunnels as ingredient in the concrete.
This reduces both costs and emissions associated with the production. The foundation work for the two next pools – K1 and K3 – is in its final stages, and production of pool walls is ongoing. The crane that will install the pool walls is assembled and already in place above the pool pit.
From the company, they explain that, located at Andøya on the Arctic Archipelago of Vesterålen, Norway, Andfjord Salmon is developing the world’s most sustainable and fish-friendly aquaculture facility of its kind. “Through a proprietary flow-through system, Andfjord Salmon combines the best from ocean and land-based salmon farming.”
First production cycle
In its first production cycle, the company achieved an industry-leading survival rate of 97.5 percent, feed conversion ratio of 1.05, superior share of 91.1 percent, and required 1 kWh to produce one kilo of salmon. Andfjord Salmon has identified a roadmap towards a production capacity of 40,000 tonnes HOG at Kvalnes, Andøya, and set a long-term ambition to reach 90,000 tonnes HOG across Kvalnes, Breivika and Fiskenes at Andøya.
Second quarter and half-year 2024 financial results
A combination of solid progress at Kvalnes, strong biological results in its first production cycle, and the prospect of an additional revenue stream through use of surplus pool capacity for “post-smolt” production, enabled Andfjord Salmon to successfully complete an equity raise of NOK 350 million in the second quarter of 2024. This provided added financial flexibility for this build-out stage.
With regard to the second quarter and half-year 2024 financial results Rasmussen assured: “Everything we need to ramp up pool construction is now in place. The plan is to significantly increase production of concrete elements during September. We therefore expect to see an uptick in pool construction during the coming months.”
Current shareholders, including the company’s largest shareholder Jerónimo Martins Agro-Alimentar and Eidsfjord Sjøfarm – Holmøy Havbruk, invested their pro-rata shares in the private placement. High Liner Foods, a leading seafood processor and marketer in the United States and Canada, also invested USD 10 million to become a new shareholder in Andfjord Salmon.
Andfjord Salmon is expanding its Kvalnes facility and had no salmon production in the second quarter of 2024. Revenue was NOK 0.1 million (Q2 2023: NOK 9.6 million). The company reported a loss of NOK 18.8 million in this year’s second quarter, compared to a loss of NOK 18.2 million in the same period last year.
