The Norwegian Environment Agency will assess the social benefits of the Toftøya plans

25. 25 April 2025

The Norwegian Environment Agency will assess the social benefits of the Toftøya plans

The state administrator in Nordland has informed us that they will not change their decision not to grant the land-based project at Toftøya a discharge permit under the Pollution Control Act, despite our complaint. The State Administrator is now sending the complaint to the Norwegian Environment Agency for consideration. Of course, we had hoped that the State Administrator would turn round and reverse his decision from February, but we were prepared for that not to happen - which is the most common thing when they first say no.

We are now putting our trust in the Norwegian Environment Agency. If the answer is no there as well, we have the opportunity to appeal to the ministry - and to the political level/government. We have been working closely with the political decision-makers for a long time, and should the case end up all the way there, we are confident that it will end in a yes!

It is important to note that the green light from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority before Easter is very important, also in terms of the likelihood of obtaining the necessary authorisation under the Pollution Control Act. We are very confident that we will be able to realise the land-based initiative at Toftøya!

Here is the stock exchange announcement we sent out on 0808 Friday morning:

The state administrator in Nordland is asking the Norwegian Environment Agency to assess whether the social benefits of a land-based fish farm on Toftøya are great enough to authorise its establishment.

At Toftøya outside Brønnøysund, Helgeland Miljøfisk is planning a land-based fish farm that can produce up to 40,000 tonnes of salmon a year. The facility is expected to provide between 200 and 300 jobs when fully developed.
Earlier this year, both the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the State Administrator, who both have to say yes, rejected the applications. Just before Easter, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority turned round and announced that it was giving the green light, following a complaint from Helgeland Miljøfisk.

Signed permission form
Helgeland Miljøfisk has also complained about the rejection by the State Governor of Nordland. The answer came on Thursday. In it, the State Administrator announces that it maintains its rejection and does not grant a discharge permit for the land-based facility. The appeal will now be considered by the Norwegian Environment Agency.
- "We are disappointed that the State Administrator of Nordland once again says no to business activity, food production and jobs on Toftøya and Helgeland. We believe they are wrong in several areas. At the same time, we were prepared for the fact that they would not reverse their first decision. We are now looking forward to the Norwegian Environment Agency assessing the case. We are confident that their decision will be in favour," says Sten Roald Lorentzen, CEO of Helgeland Miljøfisk.
He believed for a long time that the licence was ready, after a manager at the State Trustee confirmed in writing in January last year that they had signed a licence.
- "One year later, in February this year, we received a surprising rejection," says Lorentzen.

Larger production
It is this refusal that the State Administrator in Nordland has now decided not to reverse, despite the appeal. In a letter to the Norwegian Environment Agency, the State Governor writes that the establishment on Toftøya will be of "great regional significance", but that it is not obvious to the State Governor that the benefit to society is great enough to say yes, and asks the Agency to consider this.
"We believe it would be an advantage if discharges of this magnitude were also assessed by the Norwegian Environment Agency, especially since there is limited experience at national level of the environmental consequences of facilities such as the one applied for," writes the State Governor of Nordland.
Sten Roald Lorentzen points out that there are several land-based fish farms that have been granted licences, several of which have significantly higher salmon production than Helgeland Miljøfisk.
- The rejection from the State Administrator in Nordland feels both unfair and incomprehensible, but fortunately we have many supporters. We're not giving up. We will make this happen," says Lorentzen.