On Thursday, 20 June, a general meeting was held at the aquaculture company Salfjord. The company aims to become a world-leading player in land-based farming of salmon and trout and plans to build a facility at Tjeldbergodden in Aure municipality, with a production capacity of up to 36,500 metric tonnes of fish per year. This corresponds to 500,000 salmon meals every day, year-round. Now, the company has brought in industry veteran Jan Harald Hauvik as the new chairman.
“I am extremely pleased to have Jan Harald on the team,” says an enthusiastic CEO, Hans Ramsvik.
Salfjord aims to develop the world’s most reliable aquaculture facility, focusing on fish welfare, biology, proven water technology, industrial process control, digital twin technology, and modern risk management.
“Salfjord will be one of the largest business establishments in the region for a long time, and Jan Harald brings complementary expertise to the board that will strengthen our work” says Ramsvik.
Impressed by land-based
Hauvik has been brought in for good reason. He has extensive experience from the seafood industry, having held several leadership roles in both the wellboat and aquaculture sectors. As a former chairman of the Wellboat Owners Association, he also brings a large, industry-heavy network.
Hauvik himself says it was the location and the technology to be used at Salfjord that sparked his interest. He specifically refers to the hybrid flow-through technology also used by other land-based players and in modern wellboats.
“Salfjord’s facility will be like a top-modern and advanced wellboat, just on land,” he says.
The technology is already thoroughly tested, and Hauvik points out that the results seen at Salmon Evolution, among others, should pique the interest of potential investors.
“I am deeply impressed by what I have seen from players using hybrid flow-through technology. They can deliver top fish welfare and some of the best fish I have seen in my 30 years in the industry” says Hauvik.
He does not doubt the project’s potential:
“I am convinced that land-based salmon farming is part of the future of the seafood industry, and with a hybrid flow-through technology that is well-tested and proven, the risk is significantly reduced. Therefore, I look forward to being involved in developing Salfjord’s facility at Tjeldbergodden.”
Raising Capital
In addition to industrial experience and expertise, Hauvik also brings more than 20 years of experience from the finance industry, including as head of seafood at Nordea and as an advisor in the Sparebank 1 Markets’ seafood section.
For Salfjord, which plans capital raising in several phases going forward, this is extremely important expertise. Amounts in the hundreds of millions are expected to be raised in the first phase, and capital raising will be the board’s top priority going forward.
“The project is very well thought out, and the focus of the board’s work going forward is to build the organisation and ensure we have the financing to realise the project,” says Hauvik.
“I look forward to contributing,” he adds.
New Phase
Hauvik assumed the role after the general meeting on 20 June.
“Jan Harald has been involved in financing large industrial projects before. This will be a strength for Salfjord in the work ahead,” says the election committee, consisting of Lars Ivar Melland, Finn Backer, and Hans Ramsvik.
There are also other changes on the board. Birgit Hjelen, who has been involved in the development of Salfjord since its start-up, is now moving into an advisory role.
“Birgit has been very important to us, and we are pleased that she will continue to support the CEO and the board in the further process,” says Ramsvik.
Hauvik concludes by saying he is ready to get started:
“The company has already done a great job, and I look forward to taking over the baton in the next phase,” he concludes.