KYST.NO: Seaweed Solutions with new 500-ton kelp plant on Frøya
Kyst.no
Seaweed Solutions AS has completed the installation of a 19-hectare kelp farm with a capacity of 500 tonnes of kelp. This enables a large increase in production from the current capacity of 100 tonnes and is an important step towards realizing the company's ambition to become Europe's leading kelp company.
To strengthen the team in the upcoming upscaling phase, Hallvard Muri has been hired as the new chairman of the company. Muri has extensive experience from the aquaculture and fishing industry and has previously been a top manager among Aker Biomarine, Akva Group and American Seafoods.
- It is exciting to be part of the team at Seaweed Solutions which is very well positioned in this rapidly growing sector of the aquaculture industry, Muri says in a press release.
Seaweed Solutions has a fully integrated production including hatchery, sea operations and processing. With the new farm, which is ready with deployments this autumn season, the company has licenses for the production of more than 3,000 tonnes of kelp and is now looking for partners and investors to take part in this upscaling.
- The company is now entering an upscaling phase. With Hallvard on the team, we are confident that Seaweed Solutions has the team needed to establish the company as a significant player in the European kelp industry, says CEO Jon Funderud.
- We have everything in place, from sowing to harvesting and not least the right people. We are ready to deliver the best raw material in the world and thus contribute to environmentally friendly, blue-green growth in the future, he adds.
Seaweed Solutions recently changed its name from Seaweed Energy Solutions, which signals a broader market investment, with a special focus on food and feed. There is a rapidly growing interest in kelp cultivation in Europe and this is considered an important sector to be able to offer healthy and renewable raw materials that can be used in a number of applications such as food ingredients, animal feed and replacement of various fossil-based products. Seaweed cultivation, which is currently dominated by production in Asia, is growing at 8% per year, making this one of the fastest growing sectors in aquaculture, the company reports.
Seaweed Solutions was established in 2009 after the invention of the "Seaweed Carrier" technology, with a vision to enable large-scale cultivation of kelp. Since its inception, the company has invested almost NOK 200 million in research and development.
Translated from original article (in Norwegian): https://www.kyst.no/article/seaweed-solutions-med-nytt-500-tonns-tareanlegg-paa-froeya/