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Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant

Steel Plant in South Korea. Approximate location 37.49042, 126.63441.

Steel PlantSouth KoreaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant is a steel plant in South Korea. Its listed capacity is 4,697,000 t of steel. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels. It is operated by Hyundai Steel Co. By capacity it ranks #4 among 8 steel plants in South Korea. It emits about 276,367 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 64k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 94% below the national median for this sector.

4,697,000t of steel
276,367t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#35CO₂ rank in South Korea
0.06t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1566953.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityHyundai Steel Incheon steel plant Climate TRACE
CountrySouth Korea Climate TRACE
Coordinates37.49042, 126.63441 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoriron-and-steel Climate TRACE
Reported capacity4,697,000 t of steel Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorHyundai Steel Co Climate TRACE
GEM steel parentHyundai Steel Co [100%] Global Energy Monitor
Steel process routeelectric Global Energy Monitor
Steel asset statusoperating Global Energy Monitor
Steel equipmentEAF Global Energy Monitor
Steel capacity4,700 ktpa Global Energy Monitor
Modelled CO₂e276,367 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

South Korea rank#35 of 51 · top 68.6% calculated
Global iron-and-steel rank#511 of 868 · top 58.9% 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 4,697,000 t of steel, Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant is around the median steel plant in South Korea (4,697,000 t of steel). Subsector: iron-and-steel. As steel plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1500°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. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels.

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

What 276,367 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:

64kcars driven for a year
36khomes' annual energy use
4.6 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 276k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 276k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €20.8M/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 ≈6k t–14k t/yr, worth €417k€1.0M, 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).

276k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€20.8M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
6k t–14k t/yr ≈ €417k€1.0MDecarbonization 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 steel plants in South Korea

POSCO Gwangyang steel plant: 22,999,000 t of steel23.0MPOSCO Gwan…POSCO Pohang steel plant: 17,551,820 t of steel17.6MPOSCO Poha…Hyundai Steel Dangjin steel plant: 16,200,000 t of steel16.2MHyundai St…Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant: 4,697,000 t of steel4.7MHyundai St…Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant: 3,400,000 t of steel3.4MHyundai St…SeAH Besteel Gunsan steel plant: 2,101,000 t of steel2.1MSeAH Beste…KG Steel Dangjin steel plant: 1,491,803 t of steel1.5MKG Steel D…YK Steel Busan plant: 930,000 t of steel930kYK Steel B…

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

Operator

Operated by Hyundai Steel Co. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate zone (Köppen Cwa), at 37.5°N in the northern hemisphere.

~19°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season
Humid subtropical (dry winter): 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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
28.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
46 kmdistance to coast
HighCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1383 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.06× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1314 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 #4 largest of 8 steel plants in South Korea by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 37.49042, 126.63441. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a steel plant, the main modular-insulation targets are reheat & annealing furnaces, ladles, hot-blast stoves, steam & gas ducting. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 200–1,200 °C.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 3,800 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 1,300 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:

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

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant?

Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant is a steel plant in South Korea. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels.

What capacity is listed for Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant?

The open dataset lists 4,697,000 t of steel of capacity for Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant.

How much CO₂ does Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant emit?

The page uses about 276,367 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #35 among facilities in South Korea by estimated CO₂.

Where is Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant located?

Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant is in South Korea at approximately 37.49042, 126.63441.

Who operates Hyundai Steel Incheon steel plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Hyundai Steel Co.

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