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Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant — South Korea

Steel Plant in South Korea. Approximate location 36.00456, 129.37644.

Steel PlantSouth KoreaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant is a steel plant in South Korea. Its listed capacity is 3,400,000 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 #5 among 8 steel plants in South Korea. It emits about 200,053 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 0.13% of the CO₂e from the 51 facilities in South Korea that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 94% below the national median for this sector.

3,400,000t of steel
200,053t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#37CO₂ 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-1566954.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityHyundai Steel Pohang steel plant Climate TRACE
CountrySouth Korea Climate TRACE
Coordinates36.00456, 129.37644 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoriron-and-steel Climate TRACE
Reported capacity3,400,000 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 capacity3,400 ktpa Global Energy Monitor
Modelled CO₂e200,053 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

South Korea rank#37 of 51 · top 72.5% calculated
Global iron-and-steel rank#556 of 868 · top 64.1% 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 3,400,000 t of steel, Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant is below 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, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. 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 200,053 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:

1.1krailcars of coal burned
42khomes' electricity use for a year
200kacres of US forest absorbing CO₂ for a year

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

Carbon cost and Scope 1 emissions

At its reported 200k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 200k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €15.1M/yr of exposure on EU-bound exports. CBAM share rises from 2.5% (2026) to 100% by 2034. 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).

200k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€15.1M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports

Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/t · EU ETS €85/t, September 10, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: Climate TRACE. Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice.

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).

Local climate

Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 36.0°N in the northern 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

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

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
24.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
28 kmdistance to coast
HighCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1373 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.06× 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 #5 largest of 8 steel plants in South Korea by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 36.00456, 129.37644. View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant?

Hyundai Steel Pohang 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 Pohang steel plant?

The open dataset lists 3,400,000 t of steel of capacity for Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant.

How much CO₂ does Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant emit?

The page uses about 200,053 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #37 among facilities in South Korea by estimated CO₂.

Where is Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant located?

Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant is in South Korea at approximately 36.00456, 129.37644.

Who operates Hyundai Steel Pohang steel plant?

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

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