Great Northern Salmon (GNS) announced it is commencing pre-construction work in preparation for its salmon recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility in Millinocket, Maine, U.S.A., in mid-September.
The company – formerly known as Katahdin Salmon – is a project of Xcelerate Aqua and is aiming to build a 10,000-metric-ton (MT) salmon RAS in two phases, with its first phase of construction capable of 5,000 MT, which can later be expanded. Great Northern Salmon plans to build the facility on the site of the former Great Northern Paper Co. mill, as part of the One North industrial site.
GNS announced in May 2024 it obtained every critical permit needed to construct its salmon RAS, including final discharge permits, which were obtained with no challenges.
The pre-construction work will take 10 months and will be helped by funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the Northern Borders Regional Commission (NBRC), the Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
"The work entails decanting the water and removing settlement materials in the lagoon: the location of GNS's future land-based RAS salmon farm," GNS CEO Marianne Naess said. "Our close collaboration with the site owner and economic development partner, Our Katahdin, has made it possible to start this work on schedule and progress with the development of our RAS facility.”
The pre-construction process will accelerate the construction time and also eliminate risks associated with excavation and blasting, GNS said.
The project will be building on top of the former paper mill’s settlement lagoons, and GNS’s facility will effectively remediate the site.
"Remediation and reuse of the former settlement lagoons on the One North industrial campus is an important milestone for GNS and the local community," One North’s Director of Mill Site Development Steve Sanders said. "It is a clear, tangible signal to our partners and supporters that this project is a step toward new investment and renewed industry in our region."
GNS said it is now working on closing a Series A fundraising round, and the company will start design, scheduling, and final cost estimates on the facility this fall.
