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Svalbard Global Seed Vault

We do a lot of good things with Kiona. They deliver reliable solutions and are flexible, and we work well together. If we need anything, they solve it for us. That's how it was in this case, too.

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Project manager at PTG.

Head of Sales – Norway

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Stay cool and informed with our stories on refrigeration and freezing. You will find content on temperature control suitable for rookies and tech-savvy partners. Find blog posts, use cases and videos on temperature control, heat recovery, natural cooling and wireless temperature sensors. Relevant for supermarkets, hotels and restaurants, and large industrial cooling systems like marine and other food processing facilities.

Refrigeration and freezing

Preserving the world's biodiversity with precise climate control

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Learn about monitoring energy consumption and temperatures

<p>The <a href="https://www.seedvault.no/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Svalbard Global Seed Vault</a> was opened in 2008 and is now home to over one million seed samples. Some people have compared it to Noah's ark. Others have called it a frozen Garden of Eden. The biblical allegories suggest the seriousness of the issue.</p>



<p>"This is not our biggest assignment, but it may well be our most important. It's with a certain sense of awe that we look after what may come to look after all of us eventually," says Jostein Markussen of Kiona.</p>



<h2 id="h-with-eyes-on-mother-earth-s-backup-monitoring"><strong>With eyes on mother earth's backup – monitoring</strong></h2>



<p>It all started when the company Kuldeteknisk (now PTG), a Kiona-certified partner, won the tender to supply the refrigeration plant to total contractor Hæhre. They knew who they wanted to bring along with them as a subcontractor.</p>



<p>"We do a lot of good things with Kiona. They deliver reliable solutions and are flexible, and we work well together. If we need anything, they solve it for us. That's how it was in this case, too," says Martin Corneliussen, project manager at PTG.</p>



<p>While PTG supplies the equipment, Kiona is responsible for monitoring the technical equipment, such as the dehumidification system and CO2 machine, using the SCADA system IWMAC. They're also responsible for monitoring energy consumption and temperatures – from the main door into the innermost and holiest storage areas.&nbsp;</p>



<h2><strong>Overview – and remote control</strong></h2>



<p>Thanks to detailed system images, the cooling contractor can monitor that everything is working correctly. "That's the key to this project," says Corneliussen.&nbsp;</p>



<p>"All the aspects here are important, but without monitoring, we wouldn't be able to maintain control of what's happening. That's vital for Statsbygg, the Norwegian government's building commissioner. They've completed major modifications and are very keen on maintaining a complete overview," he continues.</p>





<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://kiona.com/app/uploads/2022/04/svalbard-seedvault-alamy-P2PPYH-1440x958-1-1024x682.jpg" alt="Inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault" class="wp-image-1460"/><figcaption>Photo: Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Seed Bank) in Svalbard, Norway. Photo by Hemis / Alamy</figcaption></figure>



<p>At the same time, it's not just about monitoring because what if something needs to be changed? Markussen at Kiona explains that the overview is only half the story.&nbsp;</p>



<p>"It's one thing always to have a clear picture of what's happening, but you also need control. Our system allows service partners to remotely control and customize the system from anywhere in the world. So they don't need to travel to Svalbard to make changes."&nbsp;</p>





<h2><strong>The value of perfect temperature</strong></h2>



<p>There are several reasons why Platåberget mountain on Svalbard was chosen. One of them is that the mountain is frozen.</p>



<p>"In other words, what is stored there is not just artificially refrigerated. That provides an extra level of security as a fail-safe. If the human systems failed, the seeds would still stay cold," says Corneliussen at PTG.</p>



<p>But the correct temperature is also about predictability and stability. And the site owner's instructions are clear: The temperature must be -18 °C. No more, no less.</p>



<p>"It is our job to achieve that precise temperature," he explains and concludes:</p>



<p>"And using IWMAC, we can both ensure and document that we can do just that."</p>

The icy Guardians of Svalbard

Remote control for full oversight

Maintaining the perfect storage conditions

Monitoring the Earth's backup

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preserving-the-world-s-biodiversity-with-precise-climate-control">Preserving the world's biodiversity with precise climate control</h2>



<p>The <a href="https://www.seedvault.no/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Svalbard Global Seed Vault</a>, established in 2008, serves as a secure backup for the world's crop diversity, currently housing over one million seed samples. The vault is designed as a fail-safe storage facility and provides long-term seed preservation under highly controlled environmental conditions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monitoring-the-earth-s-backup">Monitoring the Earth's backup</h2>



<p>It all began when <a href="https://www.ptg.no/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PTG – Perfect Temperature Group</a>, a Kiona-certified partner, won the contract to supply the refrigeration plant for the total contractor Hæhre. They wanted us at Kiona to supply them with one of our SCADA solutions.</p>



<p>While PTG supplied the cooling equipment, we at Kiona were, and still are, responsible for monitoring the technical equipment, such as the dehumidification system and CO₂ machine. <a href="https://kiona.com/products/iwmac">IWMAC, our most comprehensive SCADA system</a>, ensures stable humidity levels and precise temperature control.</p>



<p>The system also tracks energy consumption to optimize efficiency, reduce load peaks, and maintain correct temperatures throughout the vault –<strong> </strong>from the entrance to the highly secured seed storage chambers.</p>





<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-remote-control-for-full-oversight">Remote control for full oversight</h2>



<p>With detailed system visualizations, PTG can continuously monitor all technical processes and ensure everything is functioning as it should. But monitoring alone isn't enough; adjustments must be possible when needed.</p>



<p>IWMAC allows service partners to remotely adjust and optimize the system from anywhere in the world, meaning they don't need to travel to Svalbard to make changes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maintaining-the-perfect-storage-conditions">Maintaining the perfect storage conditions</h2>



<p>The vault is blasted into the rock base of Platåfjellet, about a mile from Longyearbyen Airport. Situated in permafrost, it naturally maintains a temperature of 3 – 4°C below zero.</p>



<p>This location was chosen for its stability. However, predictability is just as important as fail-safes. <strong>The vault's strict climate requirements demand a steady -18°C, no more, no less.</strong> IWMAC makes it possible to both achieve, secure and document that precise temperature.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video controls src="https://kiona.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Svalbard-Global-Seed-Vault-1080x1080-SoMe-EN.mp4" playsinline></video></figure>