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V O L . X X I V N O. X X I V O C T O B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 8 16 M I D C O A S T & D OW N E A S T M A I N E "ese are the types of projects that states are dying to have," says DelGreco. "And they chose Maine to build out this technology. We'll have scientists from all over the world watching what happens in Maine, coming to Maine to work on these new ideas. ey're looking at Maine as a place where that stuff happens. at, in and of itself, will grab addi- tional attention of companies look- ing to build on this. So it's not only the people who will be hired; it's the downstream ripple effects that happen because of these investments." Looming opposition Not that the plans haven't generated concern from local residents. Nordic's project in particular is viewed skeptically by many Belfast residents. Concerns include the project's industrial scale, proximity to residen- tial properties, potential impact on the district's water supply of millions of gallons of freshwater used annually, wastewater discharge into the bay and potential effects on the ecosystem and wild marine organisms, potential odor and the foreign company's use of Maine resources. Also cited is lack of transparency during deliberations between the city, water district and Nordic regarding zoning changes and property purchase. Opposition has prompted three write-in candidacies to the city council, organized protest by the group Local Citizens for Smart Growth, and a lawsuit against the city charging it didn't follow proper zon- ing amendment procedures. "My run has to do with a lack of process in opening the door to this industry," says Eleanor Daniels, a Belfast business owner, one of the write-in candidates and a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Daniels says there's been "a real upwell- ing of public concern and a request to slow the process down so we can study this particular industry and particularly its scale." She adds, "ere are a lot of questions and concerns about the volume of discharge into the bay and what it will contain." Belfast Economic Development Director omas Kittredge agrees size and tree removal are inherent in the project. But Belfast has enough excess groundwater capacity to accommo- date the project, he says. With regard to discharge, he's confident in the per- mitting process by federal and state regulatory agencies. "My support is predicated on them being able to get all the needed per- mits," Kittredge says. Nordic's information sheet, issued before filing its wastewater discharge application with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, says dis- charge, consisting of consists of residual nutrients from fish feed particles and fish feces and piped a kilometer offshore, will be treated using state-of-the-art technologies to meet or exceed water quality standards. Bucksport residents are more agreeable, says Town Manager Susan Lessard. at's likely because Whole Oceans plans to operate on a site that's already industrial. "It's a positive for us," says Lessard. "e loss of 40% of our valuation, when the mill closed, was significant. And the loss of the jobs that went with that valuation was significant. is is the beginning of replacing some of that value and those jobs with a stable, environmentally friendly industrial valuation, in a community that under- stands that value." Site selection Nordic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nordic Aquafarms AS in Norway, searched for a site from Washington, D.C., to the Canadian border, in areas handy to copious clean, cold fresh and saltwater, before landing on 40 acres owned by the Belfast Water District. Nordic subsequently entered an agree- ment to buy an adjoining 14 acres from Belfast window manufacturer Mathews Brothers to buffer the site. Pending federal, state and local permits, construction of the Phase I hatchery could begin in the summer of 2019, says Heim. e hatchery could be ready to receive eggs a few months later. Further construction will continue as the eggs grow, he says. Phase I is expected to yield 16,500 metric tons of market-size fish. e timeline for full buildout is still in development. Ultimately, the project is expected to cost $450 million to $500 million and have an annual capacity of 33,000 metric tons. F O C U S » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Erik Heim, president of Nordic Aquafarms, in Portland. He recently relocated from Norway.

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