News Industry update
Katahdin Salmon receives grant for RAS facility, changes company name

Katahdin Salmon has been awarded a $5 million EPA grant to construct its RAS facility in Millinocket.

Katahdin has also received a grant of $1 million from the DECD in Maine for the same purpose. The company said in a press release that these contributions reduce its overall CAPEX and enable it to start construction with a fully prepared and excavated site, reducing the construction cost and timeline. The construction schedule advantage is estimated to be six months.

“Being selected for a substantial grant like this by the EPA speaks to the high-quality work that our development partner “Our Katahdin” has put into developing the former paper mill site and also the great potential for Katahdin Salmon to repurpose the site,” said Marianne Naess, chief executive officer of Katahdin Salmon.

The Millinocket facility will be located on the 1400-acre property that belonged to the Great Northern Paper Company which permanently closed in 2008. Katahdin Salmon has also decided to rebrand and has a new company name “Great Northern Salmon.”

“Katahdin Salmon has been a good name for the initial development phases in Maine. Now that the company is entering into a new phase, it is the right time to transition to a name that reflects the developments of the company and the way forward but that still ties the company to the local community,” said Naess.

“This EPA-funded project will clear the way for Great Northern Salmon’s (formerly Katahdin Salmon) aquaculture project which has secured major project permits and is scheduled to begin construction in 2025,” said Sean DeWitt, president of Our Katahdin.

An RFP for remediation was issued in April and several contractors have shown interest in the project which will be managed by Sevee & Maher Engineering. The company said the contractor will be selected within the next few months with a remediation starting later in the summer. 

Great Northern Salmon has also selected Nofitech as the designer for the facility in Maine stating that Nofitech´s approach was the best fit for the company technically, commercially, and culturally.

“It became clear as soon as we started exploring future collaboration that we see things the same way and that Nofitech has a design that is compatible with our bioplan. Nofitech´s reputation for delivering on expectations for cost, performance, and schedule, proven through its repeat business with several customers, was also an important factor in the decision,” said Dean Guest, head of RAS technology.

Robert Hundstad, chief executive officer of Nofitech said this is the beginning of a long-term partnership for both companies.