The Chinese company Tahiti Nui Ocean Foods says it will invest $US 1.5 billion in its planned fish farm on Hao atoll in French Polynesia.
Chinese delegation visiting Hao atoll, June 2014 Photo: Photo courtesy of Govt of French Polynesia
Its head Wang Chen was speaking after another meeting with French Polynesian leaders and after securing permits for the project.
He said work in Hao will begin in December, providing hundreds of jobs, with the aim to export 50000 tonnes of fish a year from 2020.
The main species to be farmed are grouper.
The company, which is a subsidiary of the Chinese Tian Rui group, chose Hao in part because its runway was long enough to accommodate planes which can freight the fish directly to China.
Hao was a major military base in the latter part of the last century when France carried out its nuclear weapons tests on nearby Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls.