From a "wild idea" to a very serious project that will make a huge impact in the region
Welcome to our blog post. We started this journey as early as 2021, and being two experienced founders in the sixties, we worked on our idea for two years to be sure that this really was realistic before we opened up to the public.
“It is really satisfying and energizing to work with a project that will make such a great impact to the local communities, other companies in the region, and at the same time meeting the biggest challenges in our time in a very sustainable way"
From an idea to a full time project
Hallingdal is a beautiful valley in South Norway, three hours north of Oslo. Probably most known from hosting Norway`s most popular skiresorts, and a lot of Norwegians have cabins in this mountain area. However, for us as founders of new businesses in the region; the area is also rich on fresh clear water and the water is also basis for a significant electricity production.
In 2022 we established a feasability study financed by "Sats på Hallingdal" which is a regional organisation, governmental financed to create sustainable new businesses in the region. The feasability study was put together to determine the opportunities and limitations to establish a land based facility in the region. The group was looking at five main elements based on five different available locations in Hallingdal. This include fish species, access to good water supply, energy, receipients of spillage water, and circulareconomic opportunies. The conclusion of this study released in October 2022 found Kleivi Næringspark in Ål as the best location and fulfilled all the requirements to establish a RAS facility in this location.
Photoes from the Feasability Study. From left the water outlet from Usta Powerplant to Strandafjorden, the members of the study group in Kleivi (Jan Olav Helling, Torleif Bjella, Knut Arne Gurigard and Yngve Hjertenes), and from the high grounds in Åll - representing the source for the water to the facility.
There was one thing the group pointed out as a critical factor to study more closely; to ensure ourselves and the region that we were able to minimize the amount of spillage water and to be sure that there was available technology to clean the water to not impact the water system in the valley negatively. This confirmation came through a follow-up study in the winter 2023, and the decision to start up the project was then made. Upstream AS was then established by April 30 the same year. #upstreamaqua #landbasedfishfarming
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