NVE blocks Glacier Salmon’s land-based expansion plans in Loppa.
Norway’s Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has rejected Glacier Salmon’s application to expand land-based salmon production in Loppa municipality, citing significant negative impacts on reindeer herding and the natural environment.
The proposed facility, intended for the Sandbakken industrial area, would have produced up to 4.5 million smolt annually and created around 100 local jobs. To support operations, the company sought permits to extract and regulate water from Sørbotnelva, Jomfrudalsvannet and Brattnesvannet, according to broadcaster NRK.
The development would have required major and permanent landscape interventions in an area used as spring and summer grazing land by the Bergsfjord reindeer herding district. The site is also critical for calving and mating. NVE said the project would have directly disrupted reindeer migration routes, bringing it into conflict with the Reindeer Husbandry Act.
“The cumulative impact of this and other projects would pose serious challenges to reindeer herding in the district,” said Inga Nordberg, director of NVE’s energy and licensing department.
The agency also pointed to negative consequences for biodiversity, freshwater ecosystems, and outdoor recreation in what it described as a pristine mountain landscape.
Despite having waited two years for a decision, Glacier Salmon will not appeal. CEO Ernst Inge Berge said the company will instead explore alternative water sources, including seawater and springwater it already holds licences for.