Cflow has entered into a strategic agreement with Samherji Fiskeldi to deliver water treatment systems for Salmon Garden – Iceland’s largest land-based aquaculture facility
One of Europe’s largest and most ambitious projects for land-based
The project is owned and developed by Samherji Fiskeldi ehf., a subsidiary of the Icelandic seafood group Samherji Ltd., and is expected to reach a full production capacity of 36,000 tonnes of harvest-ready salmon annually.
The project is located in southwest Iceland, in an area that utilises surplus resources from geothermal energy production for industrial innovation. The land-based facility is being developed in three phases, with the first phase targeting an annual production of 12,000 tonnes. Once fully developed, the facility is expected to provide employment for more than 100 people in the region.
After a thorough evaluation process involving several European technology providers, Cflow was selected as the preferred partner for developing the water treatment systems – a critical component in land-based aquaculture facilities. The technology is designed to ensure optimal water quality, biosecurity, and fish welfare throughout the production process – from smolt to harvest-ready fish.
The decision to select Cflow was partly based on experience from Samherji Fiskeldi’s facility in Öxarfjörður, northeast Iceland. Since 2023, the company has invested more than 30 million euros in expansion and pilot testing of new technologies. Cflow has delivered several of these pilot systems, which are now operational, and has worked closely with Samherji Fiskeldi to develop solutions that will now be scaled up in full production at Salmon Garden.
The pilot facilities recently achieved a new feeding record. This may indicate that the fish are thriving in the system – potentially enabling rapid growth and more efficient use of production capacity.
“This is a feather in the cap for our entire team and confirms that our competence and technological insight stand strong even when major international players are selecting partners,” says Stig Bjørkedal, CEO of Cflow. “We don’t just build systems – we build trust, long-term relationships and shared value with our customers.”
.jpg)
From left: Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson, former CEO of Samherji and Chairman of Samherji Fiskeldi; Jon Kjartan Jonsson, CEO of Samherji Fiskeldi; Stig Bjørkedal, CEO of Cflow; Gunn-Marit Nerem, VP Sales at Cflow; Lars Erik Aalhus, Tender Manager at Cflow; Andreas Isaksen, CTO at Kaldbakur; and Birkir Baldvinsson, Business development at Samherji Fiskeldi. Here en route to a well-deserved meal in downtown Ålesund after the agreement between Samherji Fiskeldi and Cflow was signed earlier the same day.
The collaboration marks a strategic breakthrough for Cflow in the fast-growing segment of land-based aquaculture. Salmon Garden is an ambitious and forward-looking project that sets high standards for precision and control – both technologically and operationally.
“Samherji Fiskeldi is one of the world’s largest providers of land-based fish. Their development team for Salmon Garden brings unique experience, and the collaboration has been both professional and inspiring,” says Lars Erik Aalhus, Tender Manager at Cflow.
“Salmon Garden is setting a new benchmark for sustainable and energy-efficient salmon farming, and we are proud to contribute with solutions that provide better control, improved fish welfare and higher operational efficiency. This is a perfect opportunity to leverage the full breadth of our experience and technology.”
Salmon Garden is the largest standalone aquaculture project in Iceland – and one of the largest in the world. The project, which is expected to become a key food producer in Europe, takes advantage of Iceland’s renewable energy, cold clean water, and strong infrastructure – ideal conditions for controlled, high-quality salmon farming.
Salmon Garden has been under development since 2020, with the aim of reducing operational complexity and a strong focus on using reliable technologies with proven performance.
“Through the pilot facility in Öxarfjörður, we were able to test and further develop a solution with Cflow that ensures stable water quality and a healthy production environment for the fish. The system handles filtration, CO₂ removal and nitrogen stripping, and recirculates the water under the current in the tanks. This enables good oxygenation, environmental stability and optimal conditions for fish health and growth. After several years of joint development and testing, we saw that the technology delivered in practice – and that became a decisive factor in our choice of supplier,” says Jon Kjartan Jonsson, CEO of Samherji Fiskeldi.
The project has already attracted international attention as part of the green transition in aquaculture and is expected to play a significant role in the further development of land-based farming in the North Atlantic.
“Our goal is sustainable production with competitive cost levels and leading standards for fish welfare. Over the past three years, the teams at Samherji Fiskeldi and Cflow have shared a forward-leaning journey of continuous improvement. We are now excited to start putting our solutions into action at the new facility,” says Jon Kjartan Jonsson.
Phase one fully financed
The first phase of Salmon Garden is now fully financed through a combination of equity and a syndicated loan, with strong participation from both Icelandic and international investors. The total funding amounts to EUR 235 million.
“We are very pleased that the financing for the Salmon Garden has been finalised. The strong participation from domestic and international banks and investors reflects their confidence in the project. From the outset, we set a clear goal of bringing external investors on board, which has now been successfully achieved. We expect land-based fish farming to bring significant value creation to the Icelandic economy, just as the fisheries industry has done for decades,” concludes Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson, former CEO of Samherji and Chairman of Samherji Fiskeldi.
Founded in 1983, Samherji is one of Iceland’s largest seafood companies, with operations in fishing, processing, exports, and aquaculture. Samherji has over 25 years of experience in land-based farming of salmon and Arctic char, and continues this focus through its subsidiary Samherji Fiskeldi ehf., which is responsible for developing the Salmon Garden project. Samherji also exports its production under the brand name “Ice Fresh Seafood.”
For more information about this project, please contact:
Gunn-Marit Nerem - VP Sales
+47 942 78 189 // gunn.nerem@cflow.com
