By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
AquaBounty Technologies may be considering data centers, power generation and other industrial uses for its Pioneer property as the company searches for alternatives to the unfinished salmon farm.
The company announced Aug. 6 that it is expanding its ongoing review of the property beyond aquaculture.
AquaBounty emphasized that no decision has been made and there is no guarantee the review will result in a transaction. Discussions with businesses in the aquaculture industry remain underway.
However, AquaBounty believes the property has infrastructure that could appeal to the power-generation and digital-infrastructure industries.
The property has access to an existing electrical substation with approximately 50 megawatts of available capacity, competitively priced electricity and a permit to withdraw 5.25 million gallons of groundwater per day.
According to AquaBounty, those resources could make the site suitable for data centers, power generation and other energy-intensive development.
“The demand for reliable power infrastructure has accelerated dramatically in recent years, driven in large part by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing,” AquaBounty Interim Chief Executive Officer David Frank said.
AquaBounty plans to contact developers, utilities, power producers, infrastructure investors and other potential partners. Possible arrangements could include selling the property, entering a joint development agreement or offering a long-term lease.
The company announced plans in 2021 to build an aquaculture farm in Pioneer that would raise genetically modified salmon. Construction began in 2022 but was halted within a year as costs increased.
AquaBounty has since faced financial problems and sold equipment originally intended for the facility while searching for other uses for the property.
The company said it does not intend to provide further updates unless its board determines that additional disclosure is appropriate or required.