Kitimat aluminium plant

Kitimat aluminium plant is an aluminium smelter in Canada with a reported capacity of 435,000 t of alumina/aluminum. It smelts alumina into primary aluminium by high-current electrolysis. It is operated by Rio Tinto Ltd. By capacity it ranks #4 of 11 aluminium smelters tracked in Canada. It emits about 924,435 tonnes of CO₂e per year (Climate TRACE) — roughly the tailpipe emissions of 215,486 cars.

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3672960.

Im Kontext: wie sich diese Anlage vergleicht

Bei 435,000 t of alumina/aluminum ist Kitimat aluminium plant deutlich über dem Medianwert von aluminium smelter in Canada (314,000 t of alumina/aluminum). Untersektor: aluminum. Als aluminium smelter benötigt es intensive Prozesswärme (typischerweise 600–900°C) für seinen Kernbetrieb — Wärme, die durch Dampfkessel, Öfen oder direkte Verbrennung geliefert werden muss, und Verluste durch ungedämmte Behälter und Rohrleitungen stellen verschwendeten Brennstoff dar. Modulare abnehmbare Dämmung kann diese Verluste um 80–96% senken, Oberflächen auf ≤45°C kühlen, mit Amortisationszeiten oft unter 2 Jahren. Aluminiumhütten nutzen große Elektroströme, um Tonerde in geschmolzenes Aluminium über 900°C zu raffinieren, und das heiße Metall muss durch Tiegel und Gießausrüstung fließen.

Vergleich von Kapazität und CO₂-Intensität berechnet aus Climate TRACE Industrieanlagendaten; Sektorrolle basierend auf Ingenieurreferenz.

What 924,435 t CO₂e a year looks like

This facility's reported annual CO₂e in the everyday equivalents from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator:

Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.

Capacity vs largest aluminium smelters in Canada

Reported capacity (t of alumina/aluminum), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).

Operator

Operated by Rio Tinto Ltd. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Kitimat aluminium plant sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate zone (Köppen Dfb), at 54.0°N in the northern hemisphere.

Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

How it compares & nearby sites

The #4 largest of 11 aluminium smelters in Canada by reported capacity.

Location

Coordinates 54.0126, -128.70037. View on OpenStreetMap.

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Frequently asked questions