Bell Bay aluminium plant — Australia
Aluminium Smelter in Australia. Approximate location -41.12751, 146.86975.
Aluminium SmelterAustraliaCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Bell Bay aluminium plant is an aluminium smelter in Australia. Its listed capacity is 192,000 t of alumina/aluminum. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment. It is operated by Rio Tinto Ltd. By capacity it ranks #12 among 12 aluminium smelters in Australia. It emits about 411,661 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 0.91% of the CO₂e from the 30 facilities in Australia that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3672941.
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
- St. Nicolas aluminium plant · 410,921 t CO₂e/yr · Greece
- Birac Zvornik Alumina Factory · 406,922 t CO₂e/yr · Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Tema Aluminum Smelter & Refinery · 417,947 t CO₂e/yr · Ghana
- Yangquan, Shanxi aluminium plant · 401,835 t CO₂e/yr · China
- New Madrid aluminium plant · 397,401 t CO₂e/yr · United States
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Tamar Valley · Gas · 390 MW · 3 km
- Bell Bay (Bell Bay Three) · Gas · 115 MW · 3 km
- Remount · Waste · 2 MW · 38 km
- Trevallyn · Hydro · 80 MW · 39 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 192,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Bell Bay aluminium plant is below the median aluminium smelter in Australia (1,107,004 t of alumina/aluminum). Subsector: aluminum. As aluminium smelter, it requires high process heat (typically 600–900°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.
Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.
What 411,661 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 412k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Bell Bay aluminium plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 412k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €31.0M/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 aluminium smelters in Australia
Listed capacity (t of alumina/aluminum), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by Rio Tinto Ltd. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
Bell Bay aluminium plant sits in a temperate oceanic climate zone (Köppen Cfb), at 41.1°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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1374 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.06× 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 #12 largest of 12 aluminium smelters in Australia by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- Railton Cement Plant · Cement Plant · 801,023 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates -41.12751, 146.86975. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Bell Bay aluminium plant?
Bell Bay aluminium plant is a aluminium smelter in Australia. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.
What capacity is listed for Bell Bay aluminium plant?
The open dataset lists 192,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Bell Bay aluminium plant.
How much CO₂ does Bell Bay aluminium plant emit?
The page uses about 411,661 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #21 among facilities in Australia by estimated CO₂.
Where is Bell Bay aluminium plant located?
Bell Bay aluminium plant is in Australia at approximately -41.12751, 146.86975.
Who operates Bell Bay aluminium plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Rio Tinto Ltd.