April 18, 2021
New sustainable salmon farm provides 20 percent of Swedish consumption
Sweden’s largest land-based farm for freshwater salmon will be established in Säffle. Large parts of Swedish salmon consumption will be produced sustainably in the facility, which is a project led by Ramboll for Premium Svensk Lax.
In recent years, our consumption patterns have changed - both for health and sustainability reasons. We now eat less meat in favor of fish, and we prefer locally grown products over imported foods. Today’s land-based fish farms are a sustainable alternative to both meat production and sea-based farms. The first Swedish large-scaled, land-based farm in Säffle will be able to produce 10,000 tons a year, an amount equal to 20 per cent of the Swedish consumption.
“We are happy to contribute to sustainable growth through this facility. The level of ambition is high, fish will live a good life from birth until they are fully grown. This project is also in line with our values at Ramboll as well as the strategic aim to make Sweden more self-supporting in regards of food”, says Bjorn Tell, Division Manager at Ramboll.
99.99 percent of the water used in this facility will be purified through an associated water treatment plant, to be reused in the municipal water network. The technology also results in 10 times less water usage than for conventional RAS systems (Recycled Aquaculture Systems).
Premium Svensk Lax has a Zero Waste policy. This means that all parts of the fish are used. The parts that cannot be used for food products will be turned into salmon oil, animal feed, or alternatively biogas and fertilizers.
“Through choices in all parts of the life cycle, we are striving to create as few carbon footprints as possible. Some of our initiatives are fewer transports and measured water usage. Our collaboration with Ramboll provides the right conditions for sustainable development and our ambition is to make this farm the first of many during the coming years, says Morten Malle, CEO of Premium Svensk Lax.”
The strategic collaboration means that Ramboll will represent and guide Premium Svensk Lax throughout the entire establishment of the farm. The 58,000 square meter facility will be in full production by 2025 and will create new jobs in the local area.
“We are working with several industrial clients in the area and therefore have good local knowledge. Adding our competence in sustainability and legislation, we have the best prerequisites to be a strong partner for Premium Svensk Lax in this project.”