State Grid Xiangshan County Power Supply Company staff serve at Nordic Aqua. [Photo/Yongpai app]

A letter of appreciation from the Norwegian Embassy in China has spotlighted Xiangshan county in Ningbo as a promising destination for international investment, following strong local support for a major land-based salmon farming project.

The letter, received on March 11, was written by Henning Kristoffersen, counsellor at the Norwegian Embassy in China and head of Innovation Norway China. In it, he thanked local authorities for their strong support during the construction of the Nordic Aqua land-based Atlantic salmon farming project and praised the region's business environment for its efficiency.

The project, located on Gaotang Island in Xiangshan, is Asia's first large-scale land-based Atlantic salmon farm using a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The facility produces around 70 metric tons of salmon each week, supplying markets across the Yangtze River Delta and other major Chinese cities.

Such high-tech aquaculture requires extremely stable electricity. "Every part of the RAS — from water purification to temperature control — depends on reliable power," said Li Yongjun, head of the Hepu Power Supply Station under the State Grid Xiangshan County Power Supply Company, "Voltage must remain above 97 kilovolts, otherwise the whole system could shut down."

To support the project, the Xiangshan government funded the construction of a 35-kilovolt transmission line and a substation, helping reduce the company's upfront investment. State Grid engineers also designed a multi-layer power supply system with dual lines and backup generators, enabling millisecond-level switching in the event of an outage.

Kristoffersen noted in the letter that the cross-island transmission line and substation were completed in just six months, describing the pace as "remarkable."

The farm's first phase has reached full operation with an annual capacity of about 4,000 metric tons. With the second phase now in use and further expansion underway, total output is expected to reach 20,000 tons in the coming years.

Kristoffersen said the project has reinforced confidence in Xiangshan as an investment hub and has demonstrated the county's ability to support high-tech international ventures.

Aerial view of the Nordic Aqua factory. [Photo/Yongpai app]