Felicia Halvorsen Kåsereff is one of the many fishermen who enjoy being able to fish salmon in the Repparfjord and in the Repparfjord river. – I use to say that my first salmon gave me a bigger kick than having children, says Kåsereff while she laughs. But the national salmon fjord is under pressure. Barents Blue is an industrial project worth several billion kroner that will produce ammonia. Ammonia that will be climate-friendly fuel for ships. The world’s first and largest ammonia factory is being planned by the Repparfjord. The State Administrator has questioned this. The concern is that the location will come into conflict with both a threatened North Atlantic salmon stock and the reindeer husbandry industry. They say that discharges of heated water can have major ecological consequences and negative effects on life in the fjord. What kind of consequences the facility will have for Repparfjorden has not yet been clarified. – But it is clear that if it affects salmon fishing, it will not only affect me personally, says Kåsereff. Salmon fishing is a great hobby for Felicia. She says that she mostly spends her entire holiday in the Repparfjord, precisely to fish for salmon. Photo: Lotte Sandnes / Speysisters Must pump water into the fjord In this case, it is a question of using seawater from the fjord for cooling. Barents Blue will consist of three ammonia factories, with common auxiliary systems. These three factories will use a total of 129,000 cubic meters of water per hour, which in turn is pumped out into the fjord with a temperature of 14-18 degrees. About 10 degrees warmer than the water in the fjord. To illustrate, we can use swimming pools as a yardstick. The water from the factories corresponds to almost 52 swimming pools with water per hour (this is how we calculated this). What will really happen if you pump out this amount of heated water in the fjord? There may be more food for local fish larvae, because increased plankton production can stimulate the food web. This is explained by Frode Vikebø, head of research at the Institute of Marine Research. Photo: Institute of Marine Research Frode Vikebø, researcher at the Institute of Marine Research, says that this can have an impact on the biology in the fjord in that it can lead to increased plankton production. But will the salmon respond? – Immediately, I can not see how this will have a significant impact on the local salmon stock, says Vikebø. The researcher says that this has been discussed before, as a desired stimulation of Norwegian fjords. – This is what is referred to as a controlled inflow of nutrient-rich deeper water into fjords. He says this with a reservation, as he has not had the opportunity to use models to see how this affects the fjord. Concerned about the wild ax – We are very worried about the wild ax, it is very pressured from many quarters now, says Torfinn Evensen. He is general secretary of Norske Lakseelver. Photo: Kjell Inge Søreide / Kjell Inge Søreide Torfinn Evensen, Secretary General of Norske Lakseelver, is skeptical about the development of the facility. He says they are worried about the wild ax, which was on the red list last autumn. – We believe that national salmon fjords should not be a laboratory for one of the most important species we have in Norway, namely the Atlantic wild salmon, Evensen says. He says that increased temperature can lead to algae blooms, or that other species such as humpback salmon will thrive better. – In that case, we must follow closely and follow studies from other areas where there has been an impact with high water temperatures. To be impact assessed news has been in contact with Malene Sandøy, Kristian Magnus Jensen, Tom Eirik Jacobsen and Siri Melberg from Horisont Energi. This is the company behind Barents Blue. They say that they are working on an impact assessment where they simulate the temperature effect and possible impact on life in the fjord. – Impact assessments will be made for the points presented in the approved plan program, the quartet says. The reports will be made by Akvaplan-niva. This illustration shows what the Barents Blue ammonia plant can look like. Photo: Horizon Energy / Tech 3D Kristian Magnus Jensen explains that the ammonia that is to be produced as blue is exactly the same end product that is produced using green hydrogen. He says that in order to produce green ammonia in relation to estimated consumption in the future, you need enormous amounts of electrical energy that you do not have today. The alternative with blue ammonia is used because you have large amounts of gas available, to produce pure ammonia. – The forms of energy available today to achieve the climate goals are gas and electricity, but there may be new technologies that replace this by 2050. The gas to be used in production is sourced from the Snøhvit field. What one looks forward to Felicia says that the salmon fishermen at Repparfjorden will follow the case. – It will not be certain that it affects the fjord or salmon fishing in any way. Then it is of course an advantage that there will be more jobs and money for the municipality. Now she is getting ready for a holiday at the cabin by the Repparfjord river. – I look forward to enjoying the next four weeks, in the river. And then I hope it will be like that every year until I grow old. Now she is ready for a new fishing season. Many adventures now await Felicia Halvorsen Kåsereff in Finnmark’s salmon rivers. Photo: Lotte Sandnes / Speysisters
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Horizon Energy will with Barents Blue heat parts of the national salmon fjord with hot water – news Troms and Finnmark
