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GeoSalmo environmental assessment confirmed

GeoSalmo environmental assessment confirmed

Written by:
Laufey Kristín Skúladóttir

The Icelandic National Planning Agency, Skipulagsstofnun, has issued an opinion confirming the environmental assessment report of the Icelandic salmon farming company GeoSalmo, which discusses the company‘s plans to build a landbased salmon farm with a production of up to 24,000 tonnes west of Þorlákshöfn.

Á íslensku fyrir neðan // Icelandic below

The Icelandic National Planning Agency‘s opinion is an important step in the company‘s preparation, but work on the environmental assessment has been going on for about two years.

 

The company focuses on the responsible use of resources, sustainability and the circular economy. The discussion in the National Planning Agency's opinion is in accordance with those priorities of the company. In the first phase of the project, GeoSalmo plans to build a salmon farm that can produce up to 7,500 tons  per year. GeoSalmo has already agreed with the Norwegian company Artec Aqua on the designand construction of the station.

 

In the opinion of the Icelandic National Planning Agency andthe company's assessment report, environmental factors related to construction, water resources and sewage are among the topics discussed. GeoSalmo emphasizes the minimization of environmental impact and the responsible use of natural resources, especially water resources, and the agencies opinion confirms GeoSalmo's planned actions in that regard.

The National Planning Agency's opinion is a prerequisite for other license applications that are necessary for the development of the farm. The company emphasizes continued good cooperation with licensing and regulatory authorities.

Jens Þórðarson, CEO of GeoSalmo:

"Today we celebrate receiving the opinion of the Icelandic National Planning Agency, which confirms the high-quality work that lies behind the environmental assessment. This marks the end of a two-year project and is the single biggest milestone in the company's preparations for its development. With this result, the company will soon be able to start construction, thus opening a new chapter in the company's history."

The Icelandic National Planning Agencies confirming opinion can be found here in icelandic:

Umhverfismat GeoSalmo staðfest

Skipulagsstofnun, hefur sent frá sér álit til staðfestingar á umhverfismatsskýrslu laxeldisfyrirtækisins GeoSalmo þar sem fjallað er um áform félagsins um að reisa laxeldisstöð á landi með allt að 24.000 tonna framleiðslu vestur af Þorlákshöfn. Álit Skipulagsstofnunar er mikilvægt skref í undirbúningi félagsins en vinna við umhverfismat hefur staðið yfir í um tvö ár.

Fyrirtækið leggur áherslu á ábyrga nýtingu auðlinda, sjálfbærni og hringlaga hagkerfi. Umræðan að mati Skipulagsstofnunar eru í samræmi við þær áherslur félagsins. Í fyrsta áfanga verkefnisins ætlar GeoSalmo að byggja upp laxeldi sem getur framleitt allt að 7.500 tonn á ári. GeoSalmo hefur þegar samið við norska fyrirtækið Artec Aqua um hönnun og byggingu stöðvarinnar.

Í mati Skipulagsstofnunar og matsskýrslu félagsins eru umhverfisþættir tengdir framkvæmdum, vatnsauðlindum og skólpi meðal þess sem fjallað er um. GeoSalmo leggur áherslu á að lágmarka umhverfisáhrif og stunda ábyrga nýtingu náttúruauðlinda, einkum vatnsauðlinda. Álit stofnunarinnar staðfestir fyrirhugaðar aðgerðir GeoSalmo í þeim efnum.

Umsögn Skipulagsstofnunar er forsenda annarra leyfisumsókna sem nauðsynlegar eru til uppbyggingar eldisstöðvarinnar. Fyrirtækið leggur áherslu á áframhaldandi gott samstarf við leyfisveitingar- og eftirlitsstofnanir.

Jens Þórðarson, forstjóri GeoSalmo:

"Í dag fögnum við því að hafa fengið álit Skipulagsstofnunar sem staðfestir þá vönduðu vinnu sem liggur að baki umhverfismatinu. Þetta markar lok tveggja ára verkefnis og er stærsti einstaki áfanginn í undirbúningi félagsins. Með þessum árangri mun fyrirtækið fljótlega geta hafið framkvæmdir og opnað þannig nýjan kafla í sögu fyrirtækisins.“

Staðfestingarálit Skipulagsstofnunar er að finna hér á íslensku.

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