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Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun

Petrochemical in South Korea. Approximate location 34.82723, 127.67394.

PetrochemicalSouth KoreaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun is a petrochemical in South Korea. Its listed capacity is 1,230,000 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 Lotte Chemical Corp. By capacity it ranks #4 among 8 petrochemical plants in South Korea. It emits about 1,668,141 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 389k passenger cars.

1,230,000t of ethylene
1,668,141t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#16CO₂ rank in South Korea
1.36t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-731977.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityLotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun Climate TRACE
CountrySouth Korea Climate TRACE
Coordinates34.82723, 127.67394 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorpetrochemical-steam-cracking Climate TRACE
Reported capacity1,230,000 t of ethylene Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorLotte Chemical Corp Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e1,668,141 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

South Korea rank#16 of 51 · top 31.4% calculated
Global petrochemical-steam-cracking rank#63 of 218 · top 28.9% 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 1,230,000 t of ethylene, Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun is around the median petrochemical in South Korea (1,230,000 t of ethylene). Subsector: petrochemical-steam-cracking. As petrochemical, it requires high process heat (typically 300–800°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. 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 1,668,141 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:

389kcars driven for a year
218khomes' annual energy use
28 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 1.7M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun carries no domestic carbon price; petrochemicals are not a CBAM-covered good, so there is no border-carbon liability. At the EU ETS reference price (€75/t) the emissions carry an indicative carbon value of €126M/yr. 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 ≈33k t–83k t/yr, worth €2.5M€6.3M, 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).

1.7M t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€126M/yrindicative carbon value (not a CBAM liability)
33k t–83k t/yr ≈ €2.5M€6.3MDecarbonization 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 petrochemical plants in South Korea

Yeochon NCC, Yeochun: 2,285,000 t of ethylene2.3MYeochon NC…Hanwha TotalEnergies Petrochemical, Daesan: 1,525,000 t of ethylene1.5MHanwha Tot…LG Petrochemical Daesan, Daesan: 1,300,000 t of ethylene1.3MLG Petroch…Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun: 1,230,000 t of ethylene1.2MLotte Petr…KPIC Onsan Plant, Ulsan: 900,000 t of ethylene900kKPIC Onsan…SK geo centric, Ulsan: 860,000 t of ethylene860kSK geo cen…Hyundai Chemical, Daesan: 850,000 t of ethylene850kHyundai Ch…GS Caltex Yeosu, Yeochun: 750,000 t of ethylene750kGS Caltex …

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

Operator

Operated by Lotte Chemical Corp. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun sits in a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate zone (Köppen Cwa), at 34.8°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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
49/100environmental-severity index
23.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
11 kmdistance to coast
Very highCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1363 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.05× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1295 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 petrochemical plants in South Korea by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 34.82723, 127.67394. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a petrochemical, the main modular-insulation targets are steam crackers, quench towers, fractionators, heat exchangers, steam lines, valves & flanges. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–550 °C.

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 Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun?

Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun is a petrochemical 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 Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun?

The open dataset lists 1,230,000 t of ethylene of capacity for Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun.

How much CO₂ does Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun emit?

The page uses about 1,668,141 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #16 among facilities in South Korea by estimated CO₂.

Where is Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun located?

Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun is in South Korea at approximately 34.82723, 127.67394.

Who operates Lotte Petrochemical Yeosu, Yeochun?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Lotte Chemical Corp.

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