Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant — North Korea
Steel Plant in North Korea. Approximate location 41.77878, 129.79427.
Steel PlantNorth KoreaCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant is a steel plant in North Korea. 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 Government of North Korea. It emits about 2,403,184 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 16% of the CO₂e from the 9 facilities in North Korea that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-32440876.
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
- Metallurgical Plant Kametstal · 2,405,331 t CO₂e/yr · Ukraine
- Shanxi Changxin Industrial Co Ltd · 2,395,937 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Shanxi Zhongsheng Iron and Steel Co Ltd · 2,389,492 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Khouzestan Steel plant · 2,380,692 t CO₂e/yr · Iran
- Changzhi Xingbao Steel Co Ltd · 2,432,031 t CO₂e/yr · China
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Rajin · Coal · 400 MW · 0 km
- Chongjin Chemical Fiber · Coal · 6 MW · 2 km
- Chongjin City power station · Coal · 450 MW · 4 km
- The 5th Puryong · Hydro · 36 MW · 33 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
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 2,403,184 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 2.4M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 2.4M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €181M/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.
Operator
Operated by Government of North Korea. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant sits in a monsoon warm-summer continental climate zone (Köppen Dwb), at 41.8°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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1424 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.09× 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
Nearby industrial sites
- Kim Chaek Iron and Steel Complex steel plant · Steel Plant · 8,508,209 t CO₂
- Korea Building Materials Gomusan Cement Plant · Cement Plant · 785,982 t CO₂
- Jilin Chenming Paper Co Ltd - Shandong Chenming Paper Group · Pulp & Paper Mill
Location
Coordinates 41.77878, 129.79427. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant?
Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant is a steel plant in North Korea. 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.
How much CO₂ does Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant emit?
The page uses about 2,403,184 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #2 among facilities in North Korea by estimated CO₂.
Where is Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant located?
Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant is in North Korea at approximately 41.77878, 129.79427.
Who operates Ch'ŏngjin Ironworks steel plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Government of North Korea.