Building work starts on Scottish omega-3 factory
MiAlgae will be able to produce up to 3,000 tonnes a year for aquaculture and pet food sectors when Grangemouth facility is fully developed
Biotech company MiAlgae, which produces omega-3 from algae fed on whisky industry byproducts, has broken ground on its new production facility in Grangemouth, central Scotland.
In September last year MiAlgae announced that it had raised £14 million to build a facility that would produce 3,000 tonnes of omega-3 annually once complete, and named Grangemouth as its chosen site last April. It said the facility will enable it to address the increasing demands from salmon farming and pet food markets, which are seeking alternative sources of marine omega-3s.
The project, which will create 75 jobs initially and up to 310 in future, has received £1.5m from the Scottish Government’s Grangemouth Just Transition Fund, and £1.5m from the UK Government.
An exciting new chapter
“Breaking ground at Grangemouth marks an exciting new chapter for MiAlgae,” said founder and chief executive Douglas Martin.
“Our mission has always been to make a meaningful impact, tackling overfishing, reducing waste, and creating sustainable value from industrial by-products. This new facility is a huge step towards delivering that mission at scale, bringing new, high-quality green jobs to the local area, and helping Scotland lead the way in this exciting new biotech industry.”
The facility is designed with modular scalability, allowing MiAlgae to meet growing demand.
Refinery site
MiAlgae’s investment forms part of Project Willow, the Scottish Government initiative aimed at transforming the Grangemouth oil refinery site into a hub for green technologies.
UK Government energy minister Michael Shanks said: “Today we’re taking another step forward as we back the first new project at the site, creating hundreds of new, decent jobs and attracting further investment in the area.”
Jan Robertson, director of Grangemouth transition at Scottish Enterprise, said the agency had worked with MiAlgae since 2016, aiding its ambitious growth with a mix of advisory and funding support.
“Grangemouth is the perfect location for this innovative Scottish scale-up to grow and prosper, bringing high-quality jobs and supply chain opportunities to the community,” added Robertson.
Price competitive
In a comment article for Fish Farming Expert magazine earlier this year, Douglas Martin said one of the main challenges for any novel feed ingredient is being able to produce it on a large scale while keeping costs low.
“A modular approach and use of low-cost byproducts allows us to grow with market demand while remaining price competitive and affordable,” wrote Martin.
He said that while fishmeal and fish oil are still widely use due to their proven performance and industry trust, studies show that omega-3s from microalgae can perform just as well in terms of fish health, growth, and nutritional profile.
“Over the next five years we expect alternatives like MiAlgae’s to become more common, with fish oil used more sparingly for high-quality supplements.
“The long-term growth of the aquaculture sector depends on diversification. We can’t rely on wild fish stocks anymore. Finding sustainable alternatives is not just an option – it’s essential for the industry to grow.”
