A $5 million EPA grant has been awarded to remediate and prepare the project site for the construction of Katahdin Salmon’s RAS facility. The grant was awarded to our development partner Our Katahdin for the remediation of the project site in collaboration with Katahdin Salmon. This grant comes in addition to $1 million in funding from the DECD in Maine for the same purpose.
“We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a $5 million grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The grant will play a crucial role in remediating 26 acres of the former mill site’s wastewater lagoon. This EPA-funded project will clear the way for Great Northern Salmon’s (formerly Katahdin Salmon) aquaculture project which has secured major project permits and is scheduled to begin construction in 2025” said Sean DeWitt, President of Our Katahdin.
“We are grateful for the support of the EPA, our federal delegation, and the many local and state organizations that have supported the clean-up and infrastructure improvements to the former mill site. These investments are laying the foundation for significant job creation and a better economic future for the Katahdin region,” he says.
These federal and state contributions reduce the overall CAPEX for the company and enable the company to start construction with a fully prepared and excavated site, reducing the construction cost and timeline. The construction schedule advantage is estimated to be six months.
“Being selected for a substantial grant like this by the EPA speaks to the high-quality work that our development partner ‘Our Katahdin’ has put into developing the former paper mill site and also the great potential for Katahdin Salmon to repurpose the site,” says Marianne Naess, CEO of Great Northern Salmon.
An RFP for remediation was issued in April and contractors from across the country have shown interest in the project. The project will be managed by Sevee & Maher Engineering. The contractor is expected to be selected within the next few months with a remediation starting later this summer. The primary work involves decanting the lagoon, removing old infrastructure, and in-situ handling of the sludge deposits.
Katahdin Salmon Changes Name to Great Northern Salmon
Katahdin Salmon is now entering a new phase and has decided to rebrand the company. The new company name is “Great Northern Salmon”.
The Millinocket facility will be located on the 1,400-acre property that belonged to the Great Northern Paper Company which permanently closed in 2008. When the Millinocket Mill opened in 1900, it was the world´s largest paper mill. It was the first paper mill to have an on-site hydro generation and distribution facility. The Great Northern Paper Mill was the cornerstone of the community and made the town one of Maine’s most thriving communities.
“Katahdin Salmon has been a good name for the initial development phases in Maine. Now that the company is entering into a new phase, it is the right time to transition to a name that reflects the developments of the company and the way forward but that still ties the company to the local community,” says Marianne Naess, CEO of Great Northern Salmon.
