Andfjord Salmon director given hands-on role at fish farm site
Former construction company CEO will implement efficiency measures as project progresses
Norwegian land-based fish farmer Andfjord Salmon has announced that director Gro Skaar Knutsen is stepping down from the board to assume an operational role within Andfjord’s large-scale construction activities at Kvalnes, on the island of Andøya.
In a stock market announcement, Andfjord said Knutsen’s deep industry expertise and leadership experience will be instrumental in driving the company’s ambitious development plans forward.
Following her resignation as chief executive of northern Norway construction heavyweight Peab Bjørn Bygg in 2024, Knutsen has steadily increased her involvement with Andfjord Salmon through her work as an external consultant, said the company.
Efficiency measures
“In her new role, she will lead initiatives aimed at identifying and implementing efficiency measures, while creating synergies across the construction process. A key focus will be securing repeatability effects in the production of pools, ensuring continuity, cost optimisation, and continuous improvement in future expansion phases,” stated Andfjord Salmon, which pointed out Knutsen’s extensive leadership and technical expertise.
As well as her experience as chief executive of Peab Bjørn Bygg, she has held senior project consultant and engineering roles at Sweco, one of Europe’s leading architecture and engineering consultancy companies. She also has more than a decade of experience as a trusted advisor to construction companies across Norway.
Andfjord Salmon has raised approximately £130 million this year through a combination of private placements of new shares and bond loans, with much of the money being used to meet increased capital costs. The increases have in part resulted from new water intake and discharge regulations for land-based fish farms, and partly from higher costs for concrete production, additional mobilisation of personnel and equipment, design adjustments, and challenging weather conditions.
Proven track record
“We are delighted that Gro has chosen to take on a more hands-on role in our operations. Her proven track record in large-scale construction projects and strong leadership skills will significantly strengthen our ability to execute on our growth strategy at Kvalnes,” said Andfjord Salmon chief executive Martin Rasmussen.
Andfjord Salmon is building 12 flow-through pools at Kvalnes after proving its concept with a successful farming cycle in a separate pilot pool. Approximately 350,000 smolt, at an average weight of around 180 grams, were stocked into the first of the new pools last month, and a further 750,000 smolts will be stocked in another of the pools later this month.
23,700 tonnes
For the last two years Andfjord Salmon has been working on developing new pools, a harbour area, and waterways that can handle large-scale production.
Phase 1 of the pool building (four pools) will have a production capacity of 11,000 tonnes (head on gutted salmon plus post-smolts for on-selling), and the total production volume under Andfjord Salmon’s existing licence at Kvalnes is calculated at around 23,700 tonnes.
The site infrastructure is designed to support future production of approximately 48,100 tonnes (HOG plus post-smolt).
