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Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires

Petrochemical in Argentina. Approximate location -38.76584, -62.29041.

PetrochemicalArgentinaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires is a petrochemical in Argentina. Its listed capacity is 730,000 t of ethylene. Petrochemical plants crack hydrocarbons at very high temperatures to produce ethylene, propylene and other building-block chemicals — one of the most heat-intensive industrial processes. It is operated by The Dow Chemical Company. By capacity it ranks #1 among 2 petrochemical plants in Argentina. It emits about 514,922 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 120k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 46% below the national median for this sector.

730,000t of ethylene
514,922t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#14CO₂ rank in Argentina
0.71t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-732004.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityDow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires Climate TRACE
CountryArgentina Climate TRACE
Coordinates-38.76584, -62.29041 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorpetrochemical-steam-cracking Climate TRACE
Reported capacity730,000 t of ethylene Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorThe Dow Chemical Company Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e514,922 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Argentina rank#14 of 33 · top 42.4% calculated
Global petrochemical-steam-cracking rank#172 of 218 · top 78.9% 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 730,000 t of ethylene, Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires is around the median petrochemical in Argentina (730,000 t of ethylene). Subsector: petrochemical-steam-cracking. As petrochemical, it requires high process heat (typically 300–800°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. Petrochemical plants crack hydrocarbons at very high temperatures to produce ethylene, propylene and other building-block chemicals — one of the most heat-intensive industrial processes.

Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.

What 514,922 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:

120kcars driven for a year
67khomes' annual energy use
8.6 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 515k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires carries no domestic carbon price; petrochemicals are not a CBAM-covered good, so there is no border-carbon liability. At the EU ETS reference price (€75/t) the emissions carry an indicative carbon value of €38.8M/yr. 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 ≈10k t–26k t/yr, worth €776k€1.9M, 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).

515k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€38.8M/yrindicative carbon value (not a CBAM liability)
10k t–26k t/yr ≈ €776k€1.9MDecarbonization 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 petrochemical plants in Argentina

Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires: 730,000 t of ethylene730kDow Argent…Pampa Energia Puerto General San Martin, Puerto San Martin: 31,000 t of ethylene31kPampa Ener…

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

Operator

Operated by The Dow Chemical Company. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 38.8°S in the southern hemisphere.

~18°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season
Humid subtropical: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
14.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
71 kmdistance to coast
HighCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1349 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.04× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1282 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 2 petrochemical plants in Argentina by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates -38.76584, -62.29041. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a petrochemical, the main modular-insulation targets are steam crackers, quench towers, fractionators, heat exchangers, steam lines, valves & flanges. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–550 °C.

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:

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

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires?

Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires is a petrochemical in Argentina. Petrochemical plants crack hydrocarbons at very high temperatures to produce ethylene, propylene and other building-block chemicals — one of the most heat-intensive industrial processes.

What capacity is listed for Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires?

The open dataset lists 730,000 t of ethylene of capacity for Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires.

How much CO₂ does Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires emit?

The page uses about 514,922 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #14 among facilities in Argentina by estimated CO₂.

Where is Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires located?

Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires is in Argentina at approximately -38.76584, -62.29041.

Who operates Dow Argentina Bahia Blanca Chemical Complex, Bahia Blanca,Buenos Aires?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is The Dow Chemical Company.

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