Advancing sustainable aquaculture: Designing notable RAS projects
Ramboll has solidified its commitment to sustainable aquaculture through its collaboration with NCC Sweden AB, centered around constructing a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) in Åre, Sweden. Situated near Kallsjön, the Cold Lake project is dedicated to the cultivation of arctic char.
The project involved comprehensive engineering and procurement for an aquaculture facility designed to produce approximately 4,000 tonnes of fish annually. Emphasizing ecological responsibility, the Cold Lake venture integrates high-biological security, fish welfare, quality, and logistics into its design, ensuring minimal environmental impact while delivering quality seafood.
Ramboll served as the engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) partner, responsible for integrating the RAS into a complete aquaculture plant, from raw water intake design to delivering raw water to the RAS. Additionally, Ramboll designed the building that houses the RAS, including auxiliary installations, the processing plant and site infrastructure.
Throughout the development phases, Ramboll provided specialist technical and commercial guidance, ensuring robust project execution that adhered to rigorous safety and quality standards. The project focused on critical aspects such as site selection, design detailing, and meeting the functional requirements of the RAS facility, which includes broodstock, hatchery, nurseries, grow-out areas, and purification systems.
In its initial stage, the facility will operate with a 2,000-tonne capacity, with plans to scale to full production of 4,000 tonnes after the first year’s production insights. This pragmatic approach allows for risk mitigation and ensures that operational lessons are integrated into the next phase of expansion.
The facility’s technologies are constructed to adhere to food-grade standards and align with relevant land-based aquaculture practices. The design prioritizes sustainability and fish welfare, featuring oxygen and temperature regulation systems that enable varying growth rates throughout the facility.
Ramboll provided EPCM services for the development, design, and implementation of a LocalCoho recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility in Putnam County, Illinois, USA, supporting sustainable fish farming and growth.
Ramboll has partnered with Finger Lakes Fish, Inc. to lead the engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) for the LocalCoho RAS facility in Illinois. This aquaculture venture is projected to produce an initial 2,000 tonnes of fish annually, with provisions for expansion up to 8,000 tonnes.
Ramboll’s role encompasses comprehensive technical, commercial, and managerial support, ensuring a cohesive approach to managing the project’s scope, site selection criteria, detailed design, cost efficiency, adherence to timelines, communication, and meticulous risk evaluation.
During the discovery stage from March to June 2022, Ramboll worked closely with LocalCoho and the farm designer to pinpoint the optimal unit scale that would minimize capital and operational expenditures while maximizing risk mitigation.
Ramboll successfully coordinated the structural design of the RAS facility, including accompanying services and the processing building. By consolidating the efforts of diverse stakeholders and the RAS designer’s expertise, Ramboll ensured the seamless integration of RAS into the overarching build and service provisions.
Additionally, Ramboll was tasked with the role of analyzing raw water availability, quantity, and quality for the facility. The team conceptualized a preliminary design for the raw water pumping station and its associated pipeline leading to the RAS building and processing plant’s wastewater, ensuring its suitable treatment before discharge, alongside coordinating responsible disposal of fish waste, sludge, and effluent.
Ramboll is leading the design of a new 8,000-metric-ton land-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) project in Jonesport, Maine, USA – the first aquaculture facility for Kingfish in the US.
The project involves the design of a land-based RAS facility to support sustainable fish farming. The system includes two 1,300-foot, 48-in diameter saltwater intake pipes, designed to manage up to 26,000 gallons per minute (gpm) of inlet water, alongside two 2,600-foot, 48-in diameter treated effluent discharge pipes returning water to the ocean.
The RAS involves a pump house for intake water treatment and heat recovery, a 64,000-square-foot hatchery and broodstock facility, a 425,000-square-foot grow-out facility, and a water discharge treatment facility. Key support systems include sludge storage tanks, a freshwater pump house for fire protection and potable water supply, high/medium/low voltage switchgear, transformers, power centers, rooftop photovoltaic arrays, and dual emergency generators. Gas generation, storage, and injection systems will further ensure continuous operations.
Ramboll’s involvement extended to permitting assistance with local, state, and federal agencies, including environmental, air, and effluent discharge approvals. This included conducting near and far field dispersion modeling to assess the impact of effluent discharge into Chandler Bay, as well as a marine geotechnical investigation to support the design of the intake and discharge piping system design.
Throughout the project, Ramboll’s design team worked closely with Kingfish process and technology experts, along with Kingfish’s process, architectural, and site/civil subconsultants, to develop the architectural, structural, process, mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, electrical, and control systems designs for the new RAS facility. Additionally, Ramboll ensured compliance with building codes and life safety standards, and supported the permitting process for both the facility and livestock. In addition to core process buildings, Ramboll developed designs for eight ancillary buildings on the 94-acre site.
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Cold Lake RAS facility in Åre, Jämtland, Sweden
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Finger Lakes Fish LocalCoho RAS facility in Putnam County, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Kingfish Maine RAS facility in Jonesport, Maine, United States
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