KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan — South Korea
Petrochemical in South Korea. Approximate location 35.45455, 129.33899.
PetrochemicalSouth KoreaCO₂ estimate (modelled)
KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan is a petrochemical plant in South Korea. Its listed capacity is 900,000 t of ethylene. Petrochemical plants crack hydrocarbons at very high temperatures to produce ethylene, propylene and other building-block chemicals — one of the most heat-intensive industrial processes. It is operated by Korea Petrochemical Industries Corp. By capacity it ranks #5 among 8 petrochemical plants in South Korea. It emits about 1,220,591 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 0.80% of the CO₂e from the 51 facilities in South Korea that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-731968.
Data status
Known source data
Calculated from the dataset
Not available
Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.
Similar facilities by modelled emissions
- ExxonMobil Chemical Co., Beuamont,Tex. · 1,219,636 t CO₂e/yr · United States
- Sinopec Qilu Petrochemical, Shandong, Qilu · 1,214,938 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Sinopec ZhongKe (Guangdong) Refinery & Petrochemical, Guangdong, Zhanjiang · 1,234,327 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Liwa Plastics Industries Complex (LPIC) EPC1, Sohar, · 1,235,663 t CO₂e/yr · Oman
- PetroChina Lanzhou Chemical Industry, Gansu, Lanzhou · 1,196,897 t CO₂e/yr · China
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Onsan Smelter power station · Gas · 314 MW · 4 km
- Ulsan Hanju power station · Gas · 299 MW · 4 km
- Ulsan GPS power station · Gas · 1,122 MW · 4 km
- Ulsan · Oil · 3,000 MW · 4 km
- Yeongnam · Coal · 400 MW · 8 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 900,000 t of ethylene, KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan is below the median petrochemical plant in South Korea (1,230,000 t of ethylene). Subsector: petrochemical-steam-cracking. As petrochemical plant, it requires high process heat (typically 300–800°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. Petrochemical plants crack hydrocarbons at very high temperatures to produce ethylene, propylene and other building-block chemicals — one of the most heat-intensive industrial processes.
Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.
What 1,220,591 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:
Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.
Carbon cost and Scope 1 emissions
At its reported 1.2M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan carries no domestic carbon price, and its products are not CBAM-covered goods, so there is no border-carbon liability. At the EU ETS reference price (€75/t) the emissions carry an indicative carbon value of €92.0M/yr.
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 petrochemical plants in South Korea
Listed capacity (t of ethylene), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by Korea Petrochemical Industries Corp.
Local climate
KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 35.5°N in the northern hemisphere.
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.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1356 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.04× 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 petrochemical plants in South Korea by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- S-Oil Ulsan, Ulsan · Petrochemical
- S-Oil Onsan Refinery · Refinery · 6,196,517 t CO₂
- S-Oil Onsan Condensate Splitter · Refinery · 470,625 t CO₂
- SK geo centric, Ulsan · Petrochemical · 1,166,343 t CO₂
- SK Ulsan Refinery · Refinery · 7,295,436 t CO₂
- Moorim Paper Co. Ltd - Moorim P&P · Pulp & Paper Mill · 135,954 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates 35.45455, 129.33899. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan?
KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan is a petrochemical plant in South Korea. Petrochemical plants crack hydrocarbons at very high temperatures to produce ethylene, propylene and other building-block chemicals — one of the most heat-intensive industrial processes.
What capacity is listed for KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan?
The open dataset lists 900,000 t of ethylene of capacity for KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan.
How much CO₂ does KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan emit?
The page uses about 1,220,591 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #22 among facilities in South Korea by estimated CO₂.
Where is KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan located?
KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan is in South Korea at approximately 35.45455, 129.33899.
Who operates KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Korea Petrochemical Industries Corp.