At Biomega, sustainable innovation is at the heart of our business. As part of our vision for a more circular economy, we have invested in a new biorefinery in Denmark at the Port of Hirtshals, a major development area for the maritime industry. This double-digit million Euro investment is part of our plan to support our human nutrition and pet food customers with expanded production capacity for our premium Salmigo® product range and Biomega PURE™ peptides.
Before we share the latest information on our development plans, it is worth understanding why we have chosen the Port of Hirtshals as one of our key geographic locations.
The History of Hirtshals
Dating back to the early 16th century, the port of Hirtshals was first mentioned in official documentation in 1532, but it wasn’t until the early 19th century when the ideas for building a small port in the community were drawn up. Official construction didn’t begin until 1917 after civil engineer Jørgen Fibiger decided to build the port on a point, believing it would cause less buildup of sand. Since 1929, the port of Hirtshals has been in use, with major investment over the years continuing.
Now, the port is a thriving area for the maritime industry and actively supports at least nine of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In fact, Hirtshals was identified by Norwegian Sea Line as an optimal geographical location for the logistics and transport of salmon between Norwegian salmon farms and the European market. As a result, they built the world’s first salmon terminal at the port. Due to the terminal’s excellent location, fresh salmon from Norway can now be transported into the European market 43 hours faster1, forming a major reduction to the industry’s carbon footprint.
The latest development
Our commitment to sustainable salmon peptide and oil production is clear. Not only does the location of our biorefinery mean we are in the best position to serve our customers with fresh and high-quality raw materials, but we are also reducing our impact on the environment too. From our initial investment in May 2021, our biorefinery development has received the greenlight from the Danish Ministry of Environment and Hjørring Municipality to start construction. Located on a greenfield site at the port, we have completed the preparatory groundwork with NCC, one of the leading construction companies in the Nordic region.
Despite several challenges with building components, due to the high demand on the supply chain from the pandemic, good progress has been made on its construction. Excellent cooperation between NCC and the Biomega team has ensured that the biorefinery now stands at an approximate 8 metres in height. With the foundations, drains and in-situ cast concrete walls now established, alongside the decks over bottling rooms for liquid and powder products, preparation for the floor castings where the raw materials department will be located can now take place.
What next?
Our local project manager Jørgen Marvig has been keeping track of the project’s progress and has confirmed that the biorefinery remains on track for completion in mid-2022. The team is currently preparing for the winter ahead, hoping that it will not delay major engineering work that’s due to take place over the next few months.
To keep up to date with the biorefinery’s progress, make sure to follow our social media channels on Twitter and LinkedIn. Or to learn more about how we can support your business with our sustainable human and pet product range, contact us here.
References
1. Hitshals Havn, Port of Hirtshals, History of the Port, 2021.