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Alcanar Cement Plant

Cement Plant in Spain. Approximate location 40.57683, 0.54275.

Cement PlantSpainCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Alcanar Cement Plant is a cement plant in Spain. Its listed capacity is 2,185,000 t of cement. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length. It is operated by Çimsa España Operaciones SLU. By capacity it ranks #4 among 20 cement plants in Spain. It emits about 753,349 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 176k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 5% below the national median for this sector.

2,185,000t of cement
753,349t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#19CO₂ rank in Spain
0.34t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1896716.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityAlcanar Cement Plant Climate TRACE
CountrySpain Climate TRACE
Coordinates40.57683, 0.54275 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorcement Climate TRACE
Reported capacity2,185,000 t of cement Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorÇimsa España Operaciones SLU Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e753,349 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Spain rank#19 of 91 · top 20.9% calculated
Global cement rank#711 of 2113 · top 33.6% calculated
Climate contextderived from coordinates calculated

Not available

Fuel typeNot available not in dataset
Thermal capacity (MW)Not available not in dataset

Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.

Similar facilities by modelled emissions

Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.

Operating power plants within 50 km

PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.

In context: how this facility compares

At 2,185,000 t of cement, Alcanar Cement Plant is well above the median cement plant in Spain (1,250,000 t of cement). Subsector: cement. As cement plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1400°C) for its core industrial operations — heat that must be supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion, and losses through uninsulated vessels and piping represent wasted fuel. Removable modular insulation can cut those losses by 80–96%, surface-cooling equipment to ≤45°C, with payback often under 2 years. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.

Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.

What 753,349 t CO₂e a year looks like

This facility's estimated annual CO₂e (Climate TRACE, modelled) in everyday equivalents from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator:

176kcars driven for a year
98khomes' annual energy use
13 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 753k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Alcanar Cement Plant carries €59.9M/yr of carbon at the full EU ETS price (€79/t CO₂). Free allocation phases out to 2034 (Reg. (EU) 2023/956), so today's bill is lower and rising toward this full-price figure. The fastest decarbonization lever is energy efficiency: eliminating heat loss on hot equipment (removable insulation, steam & waste-heat recovery) typically cuts 2–5% of fuel-related CO₂ — here ≈15k t–38k t/yr, worth €1.2M€3.0M, with payback up to 2 years.

753k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€59.9M/yrcarbon value · full EU ETS price
15k t–38k t/yr ≈ €1.2M€3.0MDecarbonization potential

Carbon price: EU ETS €79/t · EU ETS €79/t, July 2, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: Climate TRACE. Efficiency range: US DOE / ASTM C680 (method). Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice. Estimate the saving for this site →

Capacity vs largest cement plants in Spain

El Alto Cement Plant: 2,900,000 t of cement2.9MEl Alto Ce…Aboño Cement Plant: 2,400,000 t of cement2.4MAboño Ceme…Villaluenga de la Sagra Cement Plant: 2,350,000 t of cement2.3MVillalueng…Alcanar Cement Plant: 2,185,000 t of cement2.2MAlcanar Ce…Sant Vicent dels Horts Cement Plant: 1,780,000 t of cement1.8MSant Vicen…Castillejo Cement Plant: 1,730,000 t of cement1.7MCastillejo…Malaga Cement Plant: 1,575,000 t of cement1.6MMalaga Cem…Alcala Cement Plant: 1,450,000 t of cement1.5MAlcala Cem…

Listed capacity (t of cement), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).

Operator

Operated by Çimsa España Operaciones SLU. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Alcanar Cement Plant sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate zone (Köppen Csa), at 40.6°N in the northern hemisphere.

~17°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season
Hot-summer mediterranean: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

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

Site climate & environmental severity

The local climate sets how fast unprotected steel, protective coatings and the insulation on hot process equipment degrade at this site. It sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
15.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
26 kmdistance to coast
HighCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1331 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.02× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1264 W/m² of that. Reference-surface calculation at a 150 °C surface from WorldClim climate normals (ASTM C680 / ISO 12241) — an indicative per-climate comparison, not a measurement of this site’s specific equipment. Open method dataset: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20787408 (CC BY 4.0).

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby sites

The #4 largest of 20 cement plants in Spain by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 40.57683, 0.54275. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a cement plant, the main modular-insulation targets are rotary kiln shell, preheater tower, tertiary air duct & kiln hood, clinker-cooler ducts, valves. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 200–1,000 °C.

60% of cement CO2 is process calcination - NOT insulation-addressable; energy here is the fuel side only.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 13,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 4,300 t CO₂e/year of avoided emissions. Screening estimate scaled from installed process-heat projects and surface-temperature reduction data.

See Inzonex Modular Insulation → Run the calculator →

Screening calculation from facility class, capacity and open emissions/energy context. Engineering survey required before procurement.

Safety & the no-regret first step

Start with a thermal survey of valves, flanges, doors and bends. Removable modular insulation keeps maintenance access open while lowering exposed-surface temperature and wasted heat.

EU policy pressure on this sector

Obligation

This facility is inside the EU. For thermal equipment, insulation upgrades can support ETS exposure reduction and energy-efficiency compliance.

Sources: EU ETS, CBAM and national energy-efficiency schemes.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Alcanar Cement Plant?

Alcanar Cement Plant is a cement plant in Spain. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.

What capacity is listed for Alcanar Cement Plant?

The open dataset lists 2,185,000 t of cement of capacity for Alcanar Cement Plant.

How much CO₂ does Alcanar Cement Plant emit?

The page uses about 753,349 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #19 among facilities in Spain by estimated CO₂.

Where is Alcanar Cement Plant located?

Alcanar Cement Plant is in Spain at approximately 40.57683, 0.54275.

Who operates Alcanar Cement Plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Çimsa España Operaciones SLU.

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