CNBM Kafue Cement Plant — Zambia
Cement Plant in Zambia. Approximate location -15.56198, 28.4963.
Cement PlantZambiaCO₂ estimate (modelled)
CNBM Kafue Cement Plant is a cement plant in Zambia. Its listed capacity is 2,470,000 t of cement. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length. It is operated by China National Building Materials Co Ltd. By capacity it ranks #1 among 3 cement plants in Zambia. It emits about 1,440,243 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 50% of the CO₂e from the 6 facilities in Zambia that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 61% above the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1898171.
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
- Cong Thanh Cement Tan Truong Cement Plant · 1,442,453 t CO₂e/yr · Vietnam
- Mazozo Cement Plant · 1,442,492 t CO₂e/yr · Angola
- Jaypee Rewa Cement Plant · 1,437,582 t CO₂e/yr · India
- RCCPL Maihar Cement Plant · 1,446,333 t CO₂e/yr · India
- Buraydah Cement Plant · 1,432,064 t CO₂e/yr · Saudi Arabia
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Lusaka · Oil · 15 MW · 23 km
- Kafue Gorge · Hydro · 990 MW · 29 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 2,470,000 t of cement, CNBM Kafue Cement Plant is well above the median cement plant in Zambia (910,000 t of cement). Subsector: cement. As cement plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1400°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.
Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.
What 1,440,243 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 1.4M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), CNBM Kafue Cement Plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 1.4M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €109M/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 cement plants in Zambia
Listed capacity (t of cement), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by China National Building Materials Co Ltd.
Local climate
CNBM Kafue Cement Plant sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate zone (Köppen Cwa), at 15.6°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 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 1297 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.00× 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 cement plants in Zambia by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- Chilanga Cement Plant · Cement Plant · 32,623 t CO₂
- Scirocco Kafue Cement Plant · Cement Plant · 307,824 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates -15.56198, 28.4963. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is CNBM Kafue Cement Plant?
CNBM Kafue Cement Plant is a cement plant in Zambia. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.
What capacity is listed for CNBM Kafue Cement Plant?
The open dataset lists 2,470,000 t of cement of capacity for CNBM Kafue Cement Plant.
How much CO₂ does CNBM Kafue Cement Plant emit?
The page uses about 1,440,243 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #1 among facilities in Zambia by estimated CO₂.
Where is CNBM Kafue Cement Plant located?
CNBM Kafue Cement Plant is in Zambia at approximately -15.56198, 28.4963.
Who operates CNBM Kafue Cement Plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is China National Building Materials Co Ltd.