Pure Salmon France celebrates 'major step' towards 10,000-tonne RAS

Pure Salmon France today announced that a public inquiry commission has given a positive approval to its efforts to win permission for a 10,000-tonnes-per-year land-based salmon farm and processing facility in Verdon-sur-Mer (Gironde).

“This major step validates the quality of the project carried out by Pure Salmon, as well as the rigor of the technical and environmental studies done over several years,” Pure Salmon said.

It added that following the commission’s constructive opinion, it will continue the next administrative steps to obtain the necessary permits for the launch of the project, which is planned for the second half of 2026. The first commercialisation is scheduled for 2030.

Environmental commitment

“This positive opinion is a decisive step for our project,” said Pure Salmon founder Stéphane Farouze.

“It reflects the robustness of our approach, our environmental commitment and our desire to offer sustainable, local, and innovative salmon production. We remain fully mobilised to continue the dialogue with all stakeholders and make this structuring project a reality for the local territory.”

Pure Salmon said the project represents an investment of €275 million and will create 250 local jobs, making the company one of the main economic players in the Médoc region.

The company said the favourable opinion of the commission of inquiry recognises the in-depth work carried out on the main issues of the project, in particular:

• Preservation of water resources (especially freshwater resources),
• Treatment of all wastes and effluents and controlled discharge into the estuary, beyond reglementary limitations, taking due consideration of the brackish estuary
• Prevention of nuisances and risks.

99%+ water re-use

The project is based on high-performance water treatment systems enabling a recirculation rate of more than 99%, thus limiting water resource use and discharge volumes.

The design and dimensioning of the facility in Verdon-sur-Mer is being carried out by Pure Salmon’s Norway-headquartered subsidiary, Pure Salmon Technology.

The design covers the water treatment systems, process layout, capacities, and flow, with fish welfare as a key design principle, ensuring stable operation, efficient resource use and consistent production conditions.

“We are pleased to see the project progressing. Our role is to bring solid technical experience into the design, and we look forward to supporting the realisation of this project,” said Pure Salmon Technology managing director Luke Kellgren-Parker.

Pure Salmon already operates a smoked salmon and salmon pet food factory in Boulogne, which was the original proposed site of its RAS facility.

The company, headquartered in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, has an ambition to produce 260,000 tonnes of salmon annually in RAS throughout the globe.