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Tema aluminium plant

Aluminium Smelter in Ghana. Approximate location 5.6684, 0.02218.

Aluminium SmelterGhanaCO₂ reported

Tema aluminium plant is an aluminium smelter in Ghana with a reported capacity of 40,000 t of alumina/aluminum. It smelts alumina into primary aluminium by high-current electrolysis. By capacity it ranks #2 of 3 aluminium smelters tracked in Ghana. It emits about 89,551 tonnes of CO₂e per year (Climate TRACE) — roughly the tailpipe emissions of 20,874 cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is about 7% above the median aluminium smelter.

40,000t of alumina/aluminum
89,551t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#4CO₂ rank in Ghana
2.24t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673064.

En contexte: comment cette installation se compare

À 40,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Tema aluminium plant est autour de la médiane des aluminium smelter en Ghana (40,000 t of alumina/aluminum). Son CO₂ par unité de capacité est approximativement 7% au-dessus de la médiane des aluminium smelter. Sous-secteur: aluminum. Comme aluminium smelter, elle nécessite une chaleur de procédé intensive (typiquement 600–900°C) pour ses opérations industrielles essentielles — chaleur qui doit être fournie par des chaudières, fours ou combustion directe, et les pertes par les récipients et tuyauteries non isolés représentent du combustible gaspillé. L'isolation modulaire amovible peut réduire ces pertes de 80–96%, refroidissant les surfaces à ≤45°C, avec des délais d'amortissement souvent inférieurs à 2 ans. Les fonderies d'aluminium utilisent de grands courants électriques pour raffiner l'alumine en aluminium fondu au-dessus de 900°C, et le métal chaud doit s'écouler à travers des creusets et des équipements de coulée.

Comparaison de capacité et d'intensité de CO₂ calculée à partir des données des installations industrielles Climate TRACE; rôle du secteur basé sur la référence d'ingénierie.

What 89,551 t CO₂e a year looks like

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

20,874cars driven for a year
11,679homes' annual energy use
1,492,517tree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Capacity vs largest aluminium smelters in Ghana

Tema Aluminum Smelter & Refinery: 200,000 t of alumina/aluminum200kTema Alumi…Tema aluminium plant: 40,000 t of alumina/aluminum40kTema alumi…Tema Metropolis: 6,347 t of alumina/aluminum6kTema Metro…

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

Local climate

Tema aluminium plant sits in a tropical savanna climate zone (Köppen Aw), at 5.7°N in the northern hemisphere.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~29°Ctypical warm-season
Tropical savanna: hot and humid year-round with little seasonal variation

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

How it compares & nearby sites

The #2 largest of 3 aluminium smelters in Ghana by reported capacity.

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 5.6684, 0.02218. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

A aluminium smelter like this runs hot equipment that sheds heat continuously: alumina calciner, casthouse furnaces, hot ducting (electrolysis itself is electric) (surface/process temperatures around 150–1,000 °C). These surfaces lose energy to the air year-round; removable modular insulation cuts that loss, brings outer surfaces to ≤45 °C, and unclips for inspection.

electrolysis is mostly electricity (Scope 2) + anode process; on-site combustion small - insulation mainly relevant to alumina refining/casthouse.

Indicative recoverable energy

On an already-insulated site (pipes & valves in cladding / jackets), closing the remaining gaps, flanges and damaged sections and switching to removable covers indicatively recovers about 1,800 MWh/yr (≈ 360 t CO₂/yr) — scaled to this site's reported CO₂ within its sector. Bare or damaged surfaces recover several times more.

See Inzonex insulation → Estimate your site →

Indicative, not a measurement. Conservative floor for an already-insulated plant; a TIPCHECK on-site audit gives a measured figure. Industry context: EiiF TIPCHECK — industrial insulation can save ~14 Mtoe/yr in EU, payback typically <2 years.

Safety & the no-regret first step

Bare hot surfaces here exceed the touch-safe limit (EN ISO 13732-1); insulation to ≤45 °C is a worker-safety and compliance win. And before electrification, fuel-switching or CCS, eliminating surface heat loss is the cheapest, fastest, lowest-risk step — audit the bare spots first, rip-and-replace later.

External climate finance your country can access

Domestic energy-efficiency grants are limited here; industrial decarbonisation is mainly funded externally:

Routed via national development banks / accredited entities — not a direct factory grant. Verified 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Tema aluminium plant?

Tema aluminium plant is a aluminium smelter in Ghana. It smelts alumina into primary aluminium by high-current electrolysis.

What is the capacity of Tema aluminium plant?

Tema aluminium plant has a reported capacity of 40,000 t of alumina/aluminum.

How much CO₂ does Tema aluminium plant emit?

Tema aluminium plant emits about 89,551 tonnes of CO₂e per year (Climate TRACE) — roughly the tailpipe emissions of 20,874 cars. That ranks #4 among tracked facilities in Ghana.

Where is Tema aluminium plant located?

Tema aluminium plant is in Ghana, near coordinates 5.6684, 0.02218.

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