Batteries saves fish-farms ten of tousands liter of diesel per year
The 30-metre-long liner Sulatind has become more environmentally friendly with the help of local hybrid technology. It is Gratanglaks that operates the liner fleet Surlatind outside Kjøtta. Here, there is not enough capacity in the power grid in the archipelago to operate a lining plant of this size with shore power. With the two aggregates installed on board the fleet deliver more power than the plant uses, and can thus use excess power to charge the battery pack that was recently installed.

The local company in Harstad Moreld Teknor (Karsten Moholt per 2022) has delivered a hybrid solution consisting of a battery pack with 48 batteries totaling over 270 kilowatts. With this solution, it means that Sulatind saves 200-300 liters of diesel per day all year round. With this technology, they can operate the plant for 14 hours using only the batteries. When it is time for lining again, the generators start up, and are in operation until the lining is finished before the plant switches to battery operation again.
– The generators on board the liner fleet Surlatin would normally be in operation around the clock to be able to operate the farm. This means that until now the generators have been idle for large parts of the day and have had a relatively high diesel consumption, says service engineer Rolf Olav Mikkelsen at Teknor.
Also present at Surlatind was general manager Torstein Broderstad at Moreld Teknor (Karsten Moholt per 2022) . He says that hybrid plant number two has been ordered by Gratanglaks, and is already in production. It shall be delivered to a facility outside Dyrøy.
Grateful that we have the expertise here
– Gratanglaks has a clear vision of becoming greener, and this is a clear step in the right direction, says operations manager at Surlatind, Ola Frantzen.
The breeding facility outside Kjøtta is the first hybrid facility that Moreld Teknor supplies. The 30-metre-long liner fleet has a capacity of 400 tonnes. On this liner fleet, six workers work in rotation, and one is an apprentice.
At the last slaughter, they had around 1.1 million salmon in their mares, which, according to the operations manager, was a very good production.
Case written by: Journalist Morten Hagen |
Media house Harstad Tidende
Photo below: The installation of the battery packs and electrical cabinet. From the left, operations manager Ola Frantzen at Gratanglaks, general manager Torstein Broderstad and service engineer Rolf Olav Mikkelsen from Teknor. PHOTO: MORTEN HAGEN

Clear goal to become greener
– Gratanglaks has always had a great focus on sustainability and future-oriented production. This focus has become even greater in recent years, which is why we are converting our fleets into hybrid fleets. Unfortunately, the electricity infrastructure here in the north is not good enough for all our localities to be operated with land-based electricity. That’s why we install battery packs on board in all our fleets so that we can operate as green as possible, says Frantzen.
The operations manager goes on saying that it is fantastic that they have a local supplier with great expertise who supplies them with battery packs and this technology.
– The advantage of shopping locally is also our security with service and maintenance, says Frantzen.
Photo from left: Rolf Olav Mikkelsen and Ola Frantzen.
