The developers of a large land-based salmon farm in Millinocket said they've secured nearly all of the necessary permits and expect to start on-site work later this year.
The project was announced two years ago as a partnership between the company Katahdin Salmon and the nonprofit Our Katahdin. It would produce up to 10,000 metric tons of salmon each year on the site of the former Great Northern Paper Mill.
CEO Marianne Naess said the state issued the company its aquaculture license and final discharge permit last month, with no appeals or challenges.
"We feel we have gone through the most significant thresholds, in terms of permitting at this point," Naess.
Naess said that while permit appeals and court challenges have held up other projects in towns such as Jonesport and Belfast, the company has proposed a smaller structure with less impact on its surroundings.
The company plans to start remediation work later this year, and hopes to begin construction by next summer.
