PORT DEPOSIT, Md. — Cecil County's Port Deposit area could gain 300 jobs in the next few years, as a Norwegian salmon-farming company is planning to move into the long-vacant Bainbridge Naval Training Center.
AquaCon, which wants to develop Atlantic salmon production facilities on the East Coast, would be the first official tenant at Bainbridge.
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The company would build on a 160-acre site at Bainbridge, and would bring more than 300 jobs in everything from manufacturing to logistics to research/scientific work.
AquaCon is proposing a $320 million capital investment, with the first phase potentially breaking ground early next year, said the Cecil County Office of Economic Development.
But Toni Sprenkle, executive director of Bainbridge Development Corporation, noted there are still many hurdles to overcome for the project to happen, including possible environmental remediation.
The development corporation has been working with AquaCon for a few years, Sprenkle said, because the agency wanted to fully understand the details and the potential impact.
She said the salmon farm would mean state-of-the-art technology, "well-respected research," and an operation that's "cutting-edge in terms of environmental sustainability."
AquaCon had previously wanted to build the salmon farm in Caroline County, near the Delaware border, but pulled out of that area over environmental concerns.
Sprenkle said the issue there was over water temperature, which will not be a concern at Bainbridge because it will be at a much larger body of water, the Susquehanna River.
Sprenkle noted that "there's a big push to get away from fish farming in the ocean," and said developing the site is important to Port Deposit and the larger area.
Regarding Bainbridge, she said:
This would just be another step closer in getting the full site developed.
