Steel supplier wins another contract for Bakkafrost Scotland smolt facility
Aberdeenshire steel and cladding company KR Group has secured a third contract with Norwegian company, Nofitech, to provide steel and cladding for the final phase of salmon farmer Bakkafrost Scotland's land-based hatchery and post-smolt facility at Applecross, Wester Ross.
The project is due to commence in the coming weeks. The three contracts from recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) specialist Nofitech have generated in the region of £3 million for Newburgh-based KR Group.
KR Group business director Nicola Fraser said: “I am incredibly proud of our diligent team who have been working in Wester Ross through all weather conditions constructing the first two RAS buildings and helping to bring this vision to life.
Immensely rewarding
“Being part of this project from start to finish has been immensely rewarding for KR Group, knowing that we have contributed to a larger sustainability story. A key focus for our business is sustainability and we have several initiatives in place to ensure that we are playing our part in caring for the environment. This includes our on-site wormery and rainwater harvesting system, as well as achieving carbon neutral certification.”
The Applecross development is central to Bakkafrost Scotland's strategy of growing salmon smolts to a larger size in land-based facilities so they spend less time in marine pens. Putting larger, more robust fish to sea increases the survival rate and also enables the company to have shorter, andmore frequent cycles in its marine sites, making better use of its leases.
Bakkafrost Scotland intends to stock 9.1 million 200g-plus smolts from Applecross this year, and plans further expansion to take capacity up to 7 million smolts at 500g. The company also plans a second large facility at Fairlie in Ayrshire, where it will produce 8m smolts at 500g annually.
