BELFAST — Nordic Aquafarms announced Aug. 28 that it has entered into an agreement with Belfast window manufacturer Mathews Brothers for the purchase of approximately 14 acres of land that adjoins the 40 acres that Nordic Aquafarms already has under contract with Belfast Water District as the site for its proposed land-based salmon farm. The purchase price was not disclosed, according to a news release from Nordic Aquafarms.

Nordic Aquafarms CEO Erik Heim said in the release that, “the primary motivation for purchasing the additional land is to enable larger buffers around the site, while maintaining the company’s previously announced plans to construct a facility with an annual capacity in the range of 32,000 metric tons, to be built in phases over the next six to seven years.”

“The additional land will make this a better project, not a bigger one,” Heim said.

The release said:

• Mounds with planted trees will surround the northern and eastern borders of the additional property as a buffer. The entire facility is to be buffered with trees.
  
• The additional land enables an increase in the buffer zone between the project and the lower reservoir dam and the existing trails. Nordic Aquafarms is to present at a Sept. public meeting residual discharge figures after treatment, assessments from U.S. scientific partners related to discharge, and information about how the discharge is treated to achieve a high environmental standard. The event will be open to members of the public, who will have an opportunity to ask questions and to comment.
  
  
• In addition to the land announcements, Nordic Aquafarms said that it will hold its first public meeting of the permitting process in late September. The date, time, and location of the meeting for the MEPDES permit, related to discharge, will be included in the company’s next newsletter, scheduled for next week. The meeting will be held in Belfast.

Additional announcements related to permitting and hearings will be forthcoming in the next two months, as there are a number of permits to be filed and processed. The permitting process has been slightly delayed due to the inclusion of the new land, but is now moving forward quickly.

“Heim said that Nordic Aquafarms will continue to be completely transparent in its communications as verified permitting documentation and data becomes available from its U.S. development consultants,” the release said.

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