Kings Bay AS

Kings Bay AS is a limited company wholly owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment and provides facilities and logistics for the community of research institutes present in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. Kings Bay AS owns and manages Ny-Ålesund, the Northernmost community in the world. Kings Bay's property comprises the entire Brøgger peninsula and a stretch of coast on the east and north sides of Kongsfjorden, totaling 295 km2. Kings Bay helps to further the development in international research, higher education and environmental monitoring, and contributes good and predictable framework conditions for research and education performed in Ny-Ålesund. Kings Bay is also responsible for the cultural heritage buildings in Ny-Ålesund, which include 29 protected buildings from the mining era. Ny-Ålesund is particularly suited to climate and environmental research, and the main goal is that Ny-Ålesund should be the foremost location for Arctic climate and environmental research.

Facts and figures

Web http://kingsbay.no/
Year Established 1916
Total Number of Staff 26
Number of Academic Staff 1
Focus Areas
  • Kings Bay will work to ensure that Ny-Ålesund is an attractive, international research community characterized by quality and cooperation.
  • Kings Bay will manage the Kongsfjord area as a cultural and natural environment, as unaffected as possible by local disruptions and pollution.
  • Kings Bay will be involved in research policy processes with relevance for activities in Ny-Ålesund, such as the international infrastructure collaboration in SIOS and the national cooperation arenas for research and education under the auspices of UNIS and the Svalbard Science Forum.
  • Kings Bay will have close and good dialogue with the owner and other government agencies concerning the further development of Ny-Ålesund in a domestic and international perspective. Kings Bay will use its ownership role to work for a good balance between the research communities.