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, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 144k passenger cars.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673056.
Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
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 — 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. 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.
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.
At its reported 616k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Dunkerque aluminium plant carries €49.0M/yr of carbon at the full EU ETS price (€79/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. 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 ≈12k t–31k t/yr, worth €980k–€2.4M, with payback up to 2 years.
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 €79/t · EU ETS €79/t, July 2, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: measured (EUTL RY2023), cross-checked vs 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 →
Listed capacity (t of alumina/aluminum), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operated by Alvance British Aluminium. All facilities by this operator →
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).
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.
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; removable insulation recovers about 1325 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.
The #1 largest of 7 aluminium smelters in France by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Coordinates 51.00148, 2.16739. View on OpenStreetMap.
For a aluminium smelter, the main modular-insulation targets are alumina calciner, casthouse furnaces, hot ducting (electrolysis itself is electric). Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–1,000 °C.
electrolysis is mostly electricity (Scope 2) + anode process; on-site combustion small - insulation mainly relevant to alumina refining/casthouse.
A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 2,200 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 430 t CO₂e/year of avoided emissions. Screening estimate scaled from installed process-heat projects and surface-temperature reduction data.
See Inzonex Modular Insulation → Run the calculator →
Screening calculation from facility class, capacity and open emissions/energy context. Engineering survey required before procurement.
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.
Funding. Energy-savings certificate premiums for efficiency works; 6th period from 1 Jan 2026 (+35% obligation, 1050 TWhc/yr). official source · verified 2026
Obligation. Now CONSUMPTION-based: if avg annual final energy >2.75 GWh over 3 yrs, mandatory regulatory energy audit; first audit for newly-covered sites by 11 Oct 2026. (applies as a rule above the stated threshold — we do not hold this site's metered energy use). official source · verified 2026
Programme terms verified 2026-06-18; confirm the current open phase before applying. Eligibility depends on a site's energy use / headcount, which we do not hold — not a per-facility eligibility determination.
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.
The open dataset lists 285,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Dunkerque aluminium plant.
The page uses about 616,381 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #16 among facilities in France by estimated CO₂.
Dunkerque aluminium plant is in France at approximately 51.00148, 2.16739.
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Alvance British Aluminium.
