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Emeishan aluminium plant

Aluminium Smelter in China. Approximate location 29.52002, 103.33217.

Aluminium SmelterChinaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Emeishan aluminium plant is an aluminium smelter in China. Its listed capacity is 355,000 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 Emeishan Aluminium Industry Clique Co Ltd. By capacity it ranks #53 among 81 aluminium smelters in China. It emits about 754,424 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 176k passenger cars.

355,000t of alumina/aluminum
754,424t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#752CO₂ rank in China
2.13t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673007.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityEmeishan aluminium plant Climate TRACE
CountryChina Climate TRACE
Coordinates29.52002, 103.33217 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoraluminum Climate TRACE
Reported capacity355,000 t of alumina/aluminum Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorEmeishan Aluminium Industry Clique Co Ltd Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e754,424 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

China rank#752 of 1485 · top 50.6% calculated
Global aluminum rank#120 of 257 · top 46.7% 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 355,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Emeishan aluminium plant is below the median aluminium smelter in China (450,000 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.

What 754,424 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:

176kcars driven for a year
98khomes' annual energy use
13 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 754k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Emeishan aluminium plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 754k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €56.9M/yr of exposure on EU-bound exports. CBAM share rises from 2.5% (2026) to 100% by 2034. 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 ≈15k t–38k t/yr, worth €1.1M€2.8M, 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).

754k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€56.9M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
15k t–38k t/yr ≈ €1.1M€2.8MDecarbonization 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 aluminium smelters in China

Baise Prefecture City: 24,364,530 t of alumina/aluminum24.4MBaise Pref…Zhengzhou Prefecture City: 8,897,160 t of alumina/aluminum8.9MZhengzhou …Sanmenxia Prefecture City: 6,843,969 t of alumina/aluminum6.8MSanmenxia …Xinzhou Prefecture City: 6,615,837 t of alumina/aluminum6.6MXinzhou Pr…Zouping, Shandong aluminium plant: 6,400,000 t of alumina/aluminum6.4MZouping, S…Zibo Prefecture City: 5,931,440 t of alumina/aluminum5.9MZibo Prefe…Luliang Prefecture City: 3,878,249 t of alumina/aluminum3.9MLuliang Pr…Guiyang Prefecture City: 3,650,117 t of alumina/aluminum3.7MGuiyang Pr…

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

Operator

Operated by Emeishan Aluminium Industry Clique Co Ltd.

Local climate

Emeishan aluminium plant sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate zone (Köppen Cwa), at 29.5°N in the northern hemisphere.

~19°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season
Humid subtropical (dry winter): hot summers and mild winters

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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
19.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
972 kmdistance to coast
LowCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1324 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.02× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1258 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 #53 largest of 81 aluminium smelters in China by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 29.52002, 103.33217. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

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.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 2,300 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 450 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.

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:

CBAM. Exporters of cement, steel, aluminium, fertiliser, hydrogen and electricity to the EU face the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — cutting embedded emissions (efficiency + insulation) lowers the levy.

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

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Emeishan aluminium plant?

Emeishan aluminium plant is a aluminium smelter in China. 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 Emeishan aluminium plant?

The open dataset lists 355,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Emeishan aluminium plant.

How much CO₂ does Emeishan aluminium plant emit?

The page uses about 754,424 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #752 among facilities in China by estimated CO₂.

Where is Emeishan aluminium plant located?

Emeishan aluminium plant is in China at approximately 29.52002, 103.33217.

Who operates Emeishan aluminium plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Emeishan Aluminium Industry Clique Co Ltd.

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