Agri Business Review: Specials Magazine

While ocean-based fish farming has historically thrived, land-based alternatives are gaining traction due to their potential for controlled environment for BIO security and reduced environmental impact. Land-based fish farming offers precise control of the water quality to enhance fish growth and product quality. It also mitigates risks, such as disease outbreaks and environmental pollution. But the process isn’t simple and requires both specific site conditions and complex technical systems for controlling the fish friendly environment. EFLA Consulting Engineers is a general engineering and consulting company that provides complete consultancy services for land-based fish farming, partnering with clients on feasibility studies, business development, design, modelling, project management, and start-up. “Our greatest value proposition lies in our versatility, guiding customers seamlessly from the inception of a financial proposal to project completion. We assist in project management, all design and modelling aspects, site selection for fish farms, and selecting and sourcing technical solutions from various vendors,” says Skúli Björn Jónsson, director of EFLA. The company dives deep into sustainable aquaculture solutions and conducts thorough environmental impact assessments, crafts innovative concept designs, and estimates capital expenditure costs. The design work covers seawater pumping, water treatment, heat recovery, effluent water systems and waste treatment. It also carries out civil design of fish tanks and buildings, including electrical distribution, back-up power, and automation systems. EFLA's involvement in various stages of a project, from initial feasibility studies to the design and implementation of complex systems, underscores the dynamic nature of the aquaculture industry and the diverse scope of projects within it. At the outset, EFLA contributes expertise in feasibility studies, permit applications, geology studies, site selection, and financing. As projects progress, EFLA's role expands to encompass the design of essential infrastructure like piping networks, fish transfer systems, waste treatment systems, water treatment, automation solutions, re-use and filtering systems, and structures like buildings and tanks. These designs are crucial for maintaining optimal conditions within land-based fish farming facilities, ensuring the health and productivity of fish stocks. After carefully weighing all the possibilities, it decides which technology is ideal for each situation. EFLA is currently working on two large greenfield land-based fish farm projects in the south of Iceland, which are among the largest greenfield land-based projects in the world. Where EFLA is serving as a primary consultant on various engineering tasks from designing the grow out process, designing the civil part for the hatchery and the processing plant. This includes civil, electrical and mechanical design layouts, plot selections, obtaining permits, budgeting, feasibility studies. EFLA has a strong market presence and believes in working 'with' the clients, as opposed to working for them. EFLA collaborates with the clients through project teams to elicit their invaluable ideas and help turn their concepts into reality. For instance, EFLA has worked together with different companies in Iceland on projects like land-based Arctic Char and salmon farming. EFLA has helped clients reducing their environmental impact by designing electrical connections to offshore service vessels and replacing oil boilers with electric to eliminate the use of fossil fuels. For many years EFLA has worked for pelagic fish factories around Iceland in processing plants, fishmeal, and fish oil factories.