Alton Steel plant — United States
Steel Plant in United States. Approximate location 38.88418, -90.14326.
Steel PlantUnited StatesCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Alton Steel plant is a steel plant in United States. Its listed capacity is 680,000 t of steel. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels. It is operated by Alton Steel Inc. By capacity it ranks #38 among 49 steel plants in United States. It emits about 37,742 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 94% below the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1567167.
Data status
Known source data
Calculated from the dataset
Not available
Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.
Similar facilities by modelled emissions
- Asil Celik Orhangazi steel plant · 37,784 t CO₂e/yr · Türkiye
- Se.ven GI Cardiff plant · 38,019 t CO₂e/yr · United Kingdom
- Ovako Hofors steel plant · 38,405 t CO₂e/yr · Sweden
- Benteler Steel Tube Lingen plant · 38,878 t CO₂e/yr · Germany
- Georgsmarienhütte Osnabrück steel plant · 38,878 t CO₂e/yr · Germany
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Wood River · Coal · 650 MW · 2 km
- Sioux Power Plant · Coal · 1,099 MW · 13 km
- Sioux · Coal · 1,099 MW · 13 km
- Granite City Works · Other · 78 MW · 21 km
- Venice · Gas · 586 MW · 25 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 680,000 t of steel, Alton Steel plant is below the median steel plant in United States (907,000 t of steel). Subsector: iron-and-steel. As steel plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1500°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels.
Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.
What 37,742 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:
Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.
Carbon cost and Scope 1 emissions
At its reported 38k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Alton Steel plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 38k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €2.8M/yr of exposure on EU-bound exports. CBAM share rises from 2.5% (2026) to 100% by 2034. No domestic carbon price — but cement, steel, aluminium, fertilizer and hydrogen exported to the EU face CBAM at €75/t (rising to 100% by 2034).
Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/t · EU ETS €85/t, September 10, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: Climate TRACE. Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice.
Capacity vs largest steel plants in United States
Listed capacity (t of steel), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by Alton Steel Inc.
Local climate
Alton Steel plant sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 38.9°N in the northern hemisphere.
Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1371 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.05× the loss at a 20 °C reference. 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).
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 #38 largest of 49 steel plants in United States by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- Wieland Rolled Products North America · Metals Plant · 25,466 t CO₂
- OLIN WINCHESTER, LLC · Other Manufacturing · 19,401 t CO₂
- WRB Refining Wood River Refinery · Refinery · 3,826,177 t CO₂
- WRB Refining LP Wood River Refinery · Chemical Plant · 905,744 t CO₂
- N Judah Kraft Llc · Food & Beverage
- Tj'S Pizza Company · Food & Beverage
Location
Coordinates 38.88418, -90.14326. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Alton Steel plant?
Alton Steel plant is a steel plant in United States. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels.
What capacity is listed for Alton Steel plant?
The open dataset lists 680,000 t of steel of capacity for Alton Steel plant.
How much CO₂ does Alton Steel plant emit?
The page uses about 37,742 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #1206 among facilities in United States by estimated CO₂.
Where is Alton Steel plant located?
Alton Steel plant is in United States at approximately 38.88418, -90.14326.
Who operates Alton Steel plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Alton Steel Inc.