E-Site: Ventisqueros launches first salmon sea site powered entirely by renewable energy sources

E-Site: Ventisqueros launches first salmon sea site powered entirely by renewable energy sources

• “We are adjusting the studies that would allow us to implement clean energy in three more centers. To achieve this, in this southern part of Chile, we still lack infrastructure, and from there, we extend an invitation to achieve greater public-private collaboration,” announced José Luis Vial, General Manager of Ventisqueros.

• Fidel Espinoza (PS), senator for the Los Lagos region, stated at the inauguration that “any investment that means sustainability is an immeasurable contribution to our future generations. We must support the salmon industry and demand it from Parliament.”

2023 marked a milestone for Chile’s salmon industry: for the first time, it has a salmon sea site that runs entirely on clean energy, achieved by the Ventisqueros E-Site. It is the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere. In the north, both Norway and Canada already have some centers that run on clean energy.

In the presence of regional authorities such as Senator Fidel Espinoza (PS) and local authorities such as Mayor Luis Macías of Quemchi, where this center is located, Ventisqueros inaugurated and launched this milestone. Ventisqueros’ E-Site is located on Isla Grande de Chiloé, specifically in the Tubildad sector, Quemchi commune, Los Lagos region..

José Luis Vial, CEO of Ventisqueros, stated that “Ventisqueros’ E-Site is another step on the road to sustainability that we hope to replicate in other farming centers. This farming center, which operates on 100% renewable electricity, joins the processing plant and administrative offices that already use this clean energy to operate. Launching Ventisqueros’ E-Site involved years of design, knocking on many doors, the collaboration of many people, and above all, conviction, because sometimes, breaking new ground in innovation is difficult, very difficult.”

Announcement of new centers with clean energy

The occasion was used to announce the growth in salmon sea site that operate with non-conventional renewable energy. “We are already adjusting the studies that would allow us, eventually, to continue implementing clean energy in other centers and facilities of the company. To achieve this, there is still a lack of infrastructure in southern Chile, and we are therefore extending an invitation to achieve greater public-private collaboration,” announced Ventisqueros CEO José Luis Vial.

Senator Espinoza (PS) and Ventisqueros E-Site

In his words, Senator Fidel Espinoza (PS) emphasized that this first salmon farming center operating 100% on clean energy “is a benchmark not only in Latin America, but also worldwide.”

“Any investment that promotes sustainability is an immeasurable contribution to our future generations. We must support the salmon industry and demand action from Parliament. Keep moving forward because this is the way forward, and you will always have us as authorities behind you,” he continued in his speech at the launch.

For his part, the mayor of Quemchi, Luis Macías, stated that “you (Ventisqueros) as a company have provided a lot of support to social and community organizations, and not all companies do that. For that reason, I want to congratulate you. The fact that the Fazenda Foundation, the neighborhood association, and the sports clubs are here today means a lot. All these things make Ventisqueros stand out from other companies,” he said.

How Ventisqueros E-Site Works

An underwater electrical cable was brought from China, running 1.2 km under the sea from Tubildad, Isla Grande de Chiloé, to the farming center located at sea. This cable reaches a depth of 40 meters and transmits 23,000 volts, which are then converted to 400 volts to power the sea site. From there, under the international I-REC certification, it receives clean energy, both solar and wind.

The environmental benefits of Ventisqueros E-Site

• Reduction of more than 500 tons of CO2 in 21 months of
• Savings of more than 200,000 liters of oil during the production cycle..