Governor Wes Moore and cabinet officials recently visited several Cecil County operations to discuss the economic growth happening in the region.
Maryland Commerce Acting Secretary Harry Coker, Jr. and the governor stopped for a briefing at the Bainbridge development, where international business AquaCon is planning to construct a recirculating aquaculture facility (RAS) for land-based farming of Atlantic salmon. According to the company, this environmentally-sustainable means of seafood production will produce 10,000 tons of Atlantic salmon every year and employ 300 workers in Maryland once fully operational.
“We are most proud to bring this technology to Maryland. The combined AquaCon team has more than 60 years of experience in planning, building and operating salmon recirculating aquaculture system facilities elsewhere in the world, and has been involved as engineers and executives in more than 75 completed and operating salmon RAS projects,” said Henrik Tangen, executive chair and president of AquaCon, in a statement. “We look forward to collaboration with the State of Maryland, Cecil County, Port Deposit, Bainbridge Development Corporation, University of Maryland’s Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, and the community as it develops an industry-leading facility that will provide significant economic benefits to the region.”
AquaCon’s facility, which is expected to be located on 160 acres, falls under the second phase of redevelopment of the former Bainbridge Naval Training Center being led by NAI Michael. The 1,200 acre military site is being repurposed by the Bainbridge Development Corporation, which was created by the Maryland General Assembly in 1999 to plan, initiate, and oversee the activities necessary to maximize the economic contribution from the redevelopment.
“We have been working diligently with AquaCon over the last few years to fully understand their project and the impacts it will have on the local community,” said Toni Sprenkle, executive director of Bainbridge Development Corporation. “This is an exciting opportunity to bring quality jobs, high-level technology and environmental sustainability into our wonderful town. We look forward to continuing forward with the AquaCon team, site developers, and town, county and state leadership.”
In addition to AquaCon’s future facility, the Port Deposit property includes a logistics center that was constructed under phase one of its redevelopment, led by MRP Industrial. The center provides more than four million square-feet of space for Maryland’s bustling distribution and logistics sector along the I-95 corridor.
The governor later visited the Town of Rising Sun with Mayor Travis Marion to stop by two small businesses on Main Street, while cabinet members toured other sites throughout the county. Read more.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor; photo by Joe Andrucyk
