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ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant

Steel Plant in Brazil. Approximate location -20.24936, -40.23598.

Steel PlantBrazilCO₂ reported

ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant is a steel plant in Brazil with a reported capacity of 7,500,000 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 ArcelorMittal Tubarão Comercial SA. By capacity it ranks #1 among 11 steel plants in Brazil. It emits about 11,135,928 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 2.6 million passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 60% above the national median for this sector.

7,500,000t of steel
11,135,928t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#1CO₂ rank in Brazil
1.48t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1566447.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant Climate TRACE
CountryBrazil Climate TRACE
Coordinates-20.24936, -40.23598 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoriron-and-steel Climate TRACE
Reported capacity7,500,000 t of steel Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorArcelorMittal Tubarão Comercial SA Climate TRACE
GEM steel parentArcelorMittal SA [97.1%]; other [2.9%] Global Energy Monitor
Steel process routeintegrated BF Global Energy Monitor
Steel asset statusoperating Global Energy Monitor
Steel equipmentBF, BOF Global Energy Monitor
Steel capacity7,500 ktpa Global Energy Monitor
Modelled CO₂e11,135,928 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Brazil rank#1 of 130 · top 0.8% calculated
Global iron-and-steel rank#44 of 868 · top 5.1% 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 7,500,000 t of steel, ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant is well above the median steel plant in Brazil (950,000 t of steel). Subsector: iron-and-steel. As steel plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1500°C) for its core industrial operations — 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. 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 11,135,928 t CO₂e a year looks like

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

2.6 millioncars driven for a year
1.5 millionhomes' annual energy use
186 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 11.1M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 11.1M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €839M/yr of exposure on EU-bound exports. CBAM share rises from 2.5% (2026) to 100% by 2034. 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 ≈223k t–557k t/yr, worth €16.8M€42.0M, with payback up to 2 years. 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).

11.1M t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€839M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
223k t–557k t/yr ≈ €16.8M€42.0MDecarbonization potential

Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/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 steel plants in Brazil

ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant: 7,500,000 t of steel7.5MArcelorMit…CSN Volta Redonda steel plant: 6,251,000 t of steel6.3MCSN Volta …Ternium Brasil Santa Cruz steel plant: 5,200,000 t of steel5.2MTernium Br…Usiminas Ipatinga steel plant: 5,000,000 t of steel5.0MUsiminas I…Gerdau Açominas Ouro Branco steel plant: 4,360,000 t of steel4.4MGerdau Aço…Gerdau São Paulo Araçariguama steel plant: 950,000 t of steel950kGerdau São…Gerdau Cosigua Santa Cruz steel plant: 936,000 t of steel936kGerdau Cos…Aperam Timóteo steel plant: 900,000 t of steel900kAperam Tim…

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

Operator

Operated by ArcelorMittal Tubarão Comercial SA.

Local climate

ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant sits in a tropical savanna climate zone (Köppen Aw), at 20.2°S in the southern hemisphere.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~29°Ctypical warm-season
Tropical savanna: warm all year, with distinct wet and dry seasons

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 an extreme marine/tropical environment (estimated ISO 9223 class CX — Extreme), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

CXISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
54/100environmental-severity index
5.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
1 kmdistance to coast
Very highCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1265 W/m² to ambient — roughly 0.97× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1202 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 #1 largest of 11 steel plants in Brazil by reported capacity.

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates -20.24936, -40.23598. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a steel plant, the main modular-insulation targets are reheat & annealing furnaces, ladles, hot-blast stoves, steam & gas ducting. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 200–1,200 °C °C.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 8,800 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 3,000 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.

External climate finance your country can access

For energy-efficiency projects around process heat, likely external funding channels include:

CBAM. Exporters of cement, steel, aluminium, fertiliser, hydrogen and electricity to the EU face the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — cutting embedded emissions (efficiency + insulation) lowers the levy.

Sources: country climate-finance facilities and public development-bank programmes.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant?

ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant is a steel plant in Brazil. 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 reported for ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant?

The open dataset reports 7,500,000 t of steel of capacity for ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant.

How much CO₂ does ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant emit?

The page uses about 11,135,928 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #1 among facilities in Brazil by reported CO₂.

Where is ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant located?

ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant is in Brazil at approximately -20.24936, -40.23598.

Who operates ArcelorMittal Tubarão steel plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is ArcelorMittal Tubarão Comercial SA.

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