ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works — South Africa
Steel Plant in South Africa. Approximate location -26.66171, 27.81697.
Steel PlantSouth AfricaCO₂ estimate (modelled)
ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works is a steel plant in South Africa. Its listed capacity is 3,360,000 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 South Africa Ltd. By capacity it ranks #1 among 3 steel plants in South Africa. It emits about 4,161,451 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 23% of the CO₂e from the 24 facilities in South Africa that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 33% above the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1567185.
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
- Delong Steel Co Ltd · 4,166,097 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Eastern Steel Kemaman plant · 4,167,355 t CO₂e/yr · Malaysia
- Cleveland-Cliffs Middletown steel plant · 4,194,912 t CO₂e/yr · United States
- Fushun New Steel Co Ltd · 4,089,351 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Qingdao Special Iron and Steel Co Ltd · 4,086,878 t CO₂e/yr · China
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Lethabo power station · Coal · 3,708 MW · 18 km
- SASOL ONE · Other · 314 MW · 18 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 3,360,000 t of steel, ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works is well above the median steel plant in South Africa (1,899,000 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 4,161,451 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 4.2M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 4.2M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €314M/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 South Africa
Listed capacity (t of steel), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate zone (Köppen Cwa), at 26.7°S in the southern hemisphere.
Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1338 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.03× 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 #1 largest of 3 steel plants in South Africa by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- Natref Sasolburg Refinery · Refinery · 771,500 t CO₂
- Sasol Polymers Sasolburg, Sasolburg · Petrochemical · 197,367 t CO₂
- Scaw Metals Group Germiston plant · Steel Plant · 493,095 t CO₂
- ZAF-Fezile Dabi_methanol · Chemical Plant · 52,157 t CO₂
- Pretoria Cement Plant · Cement Plant · 239,414 t CO₂
- Sasol Polymers Secunda, Secunda · Petrochemical · 1,151,305 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates -26.66171, 27.81697. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works?
ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works is a steel plant in South Africa. 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 ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works?
The open dataset lists 3,360,000 t of steel of capacity for ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works.
How much CO₂ does ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works emit?
The page uses about 4,161,451 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #1 among facilities in South Africa by estimated CO₂.
Where is ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works located?
ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works is in South Africa at approximately -26.66171, 27.81697.
Who operates ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Steel Works?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd.