Novel “underground farm” concept reboots with Lewis as priority.
Norwegian Mountain Salmon has indicated it will prioritise a proposed underground salmon production site on the Isle of Lewis over a location in Shetland, after failing to secure Scottish Government support for early-stage site investigations.
The company has been assessing potential locations in Shetland, near Spiggie, and on Lewis, as part of plans to develop underground or near-underground salmon enclosures, a model it says could reduce the visible footprint of aquaculture developments in Scotland.
Chief executive Bård Hjelmen said the company had applied to Marine Fund Scotland for funding or risk mitigation to support initial studies, but the application was unsuccessful. As a result, Norwegian Mountain Salmon will prioritise work on Lewis, where it believes the likelihood of positive study results is higher, according to The Shetland Times.
The company said it remained interested in Shetland and would continue to look for local partners, with a view to progressing a Scottish location in 2026 following a meeting with Scotland’s islands secretary Mairi Gougeon in Norway earlier this year, according to the report.
Norwegian Mountain Salmon has previously outlined a concept for drilling large tunnels into rock to house multiple fish tanks, a land-based approach intended to avoid sea lice and escape risks associated with open-net pen farming, while also reducing energy costs by using naturally cool seawater.
