Veramaris, the proposed joint venture between Evonik Nutrition & Care and DSM Nutritional Products, has chosen to locate its proposed commercial-scale plant for omega-3 fatty acids in Blair, Nebraska, USA. The Evonik site was selected because of the German firm’s nearly 20 years’ experience there in operating a facility to produce Biolys - the amino acid L-lysine – by fermentation.

The plant, which is expected to go on stream in 2019, will be located adjacent to Evonik’s existing facility on Cargill’s site, with established access to the raw materials needed to produce eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Both companies will invest around $100 million each in the new plant over approximately two years.

Previously announced in March 2017, the joint venture aims to produce the two essential omega-3 fatty acids for the first time without using any fish oil from wild-caught fish. The companies said their highly concentrated algal oil will enable the animal nutrition industry to keep up with rising demand for these acids without endangering fish stocks.  Initial applications will be in salmon aquaculture and pet food.

Until the Blair facility opens, DSM and Evonik will produce pilot-scale quantities of the algal oil at DMS’s plant in Kingstree, South Carolina, USA.

The joint venture, which will be headquartered in the Netherlands, is still to be finalized and remains subject to regulatory approvals.