Dunkerque aluminium plant — France
Aluminium Smelter in France. Approximate location 51.00148, 2.16739.
Aluminium SmelterFranceCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Dunkerque aluminium plant is an aluminium smelter in France. Its listed capacity is 285,000 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 Alvance British Aluminium. By capacity it ranks #1 among 7 aluminium smelters in France. It emits about 616,381 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 1.2% of the CO₂e from the 117 facilities in France that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673056.
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
- Deschambault aluminium plant · 616,290 t CO₂e/yr · Canada
- Gramercy Alumina Refinery · 610,790 t CO₂e/yr · United States
- Tajan Bauxite Mine & CGA Alumina Refinery · 626,920 t CO₂e/yr · Indonesia
- Kalahandi District · 596,852 t CO₂e/yr · India
- Puerto Madryn aluminium plant · 644,987 t CO₂e/yr · Argentina
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- GRAVELINES · Nuclear · 5,706 MW · 3 km
- Loon-Plage · Wind · 12 MW · 4 km
- Sainte-Marie-Kerque · Biomass · 2 MW · 12 km
- DK6 · Gas · 808 MW · 12 km
- Dunkerque · Biomass · 7 MW · 12 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 285,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Dunkerque aluminium plant is well above the median aluminium smelter in France (28,000 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 616,381 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 616k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Dunkerque aluminium plant carries €52.6M/yr of carbon at the full EU ETS price (€85/t CO₂). Free allocation phases out to 2034 (Reg. (EU) 2023/956), so today's bill is lower and rising toward this full-price figure.
Measured CO₂: 484k t/yr — verified EUTL (reporting year 2023) (22% below the modelled estimate). Modelled estimate 616k t/yr (Climate TRACE), high-confidence match, cross-checked via the measured-vs-modelled dataset (n=711).
Carbon price: EU ETS €85/t · EU ETS €85/t, September 10, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: measured (EUTL RY2023), cross-checked vs Climate TRACE. Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice.
Capacity vs largest aluminium smelters in France
Listed capacity (t of alumina/aluminum), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by Alvance British Aluminium. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
Dunkerque aluminium plant sits in a temperate oceanic climate zone (Köppen Cfb), at 51.0°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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1395 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.07× 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 7 aluminium smelters in France by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- COMILOG DUNKERQUE · Metals Plant · 101,000 t CO₂
- ALUMINIUM DUNKERQUE SAS · Metals Plant · 497,000 t CO₂
- LIBERTY ALUMINIUM DUNKERQUE · Metals Plant · 484,000 t CO₂
- ALVANCE ALUMINIUM DUNKERQUE SAS · Metals Plant · 482,000 t CO₂
- ALUMINIUM DUNKERQUE · Metals Plant · 492,000 t CO₂
- Versalis France SAS, Dunkerque · Petrochemical · 558,244 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates 51.00148, 2.16739. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Dunkerque aluminium plant?
Dunkerque aluminium plant is a aluminium smelter in France. 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 Dunkerque aluminium plant?
The open dataset lists 285,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Dunkerque aluminium plant.
How much CO₂ does Dunkerque aluminium plant emit?
The page uses about 616,381 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #16 among facilities in France by estimated CO₂.
Where is Dunkerque aluminium plant located?
Dunkerque aluminium plant is in France at approximately 51.00148, 2.16739.
Who operates Dunkerque aluminium plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Alvance British Aluminium.