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Karsdorf Cement Plant

Cement Plant in Germany. Approximate location 51.26963, 11.66117.

Cement PlantGermanyCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Karsdorf Cement Plant is a cement plant in Germany. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length. It is operated by Thomas Zement GmbH & Co KG. It emits about 763,126 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 178k passenger cars.

763,126t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#37CO₂ rank in Germany

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1896600.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityKarsdorf Cement Plant Climate TRACE
CountryGermany Climate TRACE
Coordinates51.26963, 11.66117 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorcement Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorThomas Zement GmbH & Co KG Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e763,126 t/yr Climate TRACE
Measured CO₂ cross-check744,579 t/yr measured cross-check · EUTL 2023

Calculated from the dataset

Germany rank#37 of 118 · top 31.4% calculated
Global cement rank#704 of 2113 · top 33.3% 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

Subsector: cement. As cement plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1400°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. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.

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

What 763,126 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:

178kcars driven for a year
100khomes' 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 763k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Karsdorf Cement Plant carries €60.6M/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 ≈15k t–38k t/yr, worth €1.2M€3.0M, with payback up to 2 years.

Measured CO₂: 745k t/yr — verified EUTL (reporting year 2023) (2% below the modelled estimate). Modelled estimate 763k t/yr (Climate TRACE), high-confidence match, cross-checked via the measured-vs-modelled dataset (n=711).

763k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€60.6M/yrcarbon value · full EU ETS price
15k t–38k t/yr ≈ €1.2M€3.0MDecarbonization potential

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 →

Operator

Operated by Thomas Zement GmbH & Co KG. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Karsdorf Cement Plant sits in a temperate oceanic climate zone (Köppen Cfb), at 51.3°N in the northern hemisphere.

~11°Ctypical annual mean
~18°Ctypical warm-season
Temperate oceanic: 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
25/100environmental-severity index
17.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
359 kmdistance to coast
LowCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1409 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.08× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1339 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

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 51.26963, 11.66117. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a cement plant, the main modular-insulation targets are rotary kiln shell, preheater tower, tertiary air duct & kiln hood, clinker-cooler ducts, valves. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 200–1,000 °C.

60% of cement CO2 is process calcination - NOT insulation-addressable; energy here is the fuel side only.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 13,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 4,300 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.

Germany: funding & obligation

Funding. Grant 20-60% depending on module and company size; Modul 4 = energy/resource optimization of plants & processes (insulation fits). Foerderwettbewerb round budget ~EUR 60M. official source · verified 2026

Obligation. Mandatory energy audit if avg final energy 2.77-23.6 GWh/yr; certified EnMS/EMS if >23.6 GWh/yr; implementation plans for economically viable measures within 3 months of audit. (applies as a rule above the stated threshold — we do not hold this site's metered energy use). official source · verified 2026
Status: Thresholds are an April-2026 DRAFT amendment (previously 7.5 GWh EnMS) — confirm enacted before publishing.

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.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Karsdorf Cement Plant?

Karsdorf Cement Plant is a cement plant in Germany. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.

How much CO₂ does Karsdorf Cement Plant emit?

The page uses about 763,126 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #37 among facilities in Germany by estimated CO₂.

Where is Karsdorf Cement Plant located?

Karsdorf Cement Plant is in Germany at approximately 51.26963, 11.66117.

Who operates Karsdorf Cement Plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Thomas Zement GmbH & Co KG.

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