BELFAST, Maine — You might have to squint through the trees to spot the world’s second largest salmon farm in Belfast, according to computer renderings unveiled Wednesday.

Nordic Aquafarms, a Norwegian aquaculture firm, says its due diligence, the process used to determine whether the project would be feasible, is about 90 percent complete, and is ready to start applying for permits.





Nordic hosted its latest information session at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast on Wednesday night.

In its first phase, Nordic would build a 300,000-square-foot building on a 40-acre plot near the Northport town line. The building will be about 10-15 feet shorter than surrounding trees, largely hiding it from view, according to Nordic’s CEO Erik Heim.

[How Belfast sweetened the deal to win a $150 million salmon farm]

Early designs of the farm show a white structure with tall windows meant to reflect foliage in warm months and snow in winter. Another design option Heim showed Wednesday featured green stripes on the lower half of the building to simulate trees.

“We’ve heard the concerns, and really want this building to integrate into the landscape in a soft way,” Heim said Wednesday.

Off Route 1, the company says it will keep the historic waterworks building and dam and plans to convert it into an information center for school groups and the public. It also has offered to build an outdoor display tank to hold salmon for public viewing, if that’s something the city wants.

Later, the company plans another 200,000-square-foot building, again surrounded by trees, closer to Perkins Road.

The farm’s roofs will be covered in solar panels, providing about 6-10 percent of the facility’s electricity, according to Heim.