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Mesaieed aluminium plant

Aluminium Smelter in Qatar. Approximate location 24.96876, 51.57523.

Aluminium SmelterQatarCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Mesaieed aluminium plant is an aluminium smelter in Qatar. Its listed capacity is 666,000 t of alumina/aluminum. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment. It is operated by Qatar Aluminium Ltd. It emits about 1,415,342 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 330k passenger cars.

666,000t of alumina/aluminum
1,415,342t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#7CO₂ rank in Qatar
2.13t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673117.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityMesaieed aluminium plant Climate TRACE
CountryQatar Climate TRACE
Coordinates24.96876, 51.57523 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoraluminum Climate TRACE
Reported capacity666,000 t of alumina/aluminum Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorQatar Aluminium Ltd Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e1,415,342 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Qatar rank#7 of 10 · top 70.0% calculated
Global aluminum rank#64 of 257 · top 24.9% 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 666,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Mesaieed aluminium plant is around the median aluminium smelter in Qatar (666,000 t of alumina/aluminum). Subsector: aluminum. As aluminium smelter, it requires high process heat (typically 600–900°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. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.

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

What 1,415,342 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:

330kcars driven for a year
185khomes' annual energy use
24 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 1.4M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Mesaieed aluminium plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 1.4M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €107M/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 ≈28k t–71k t/yr, worth €2.1M€5.3M, 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).

1.4M t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€107M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
28k t–71k t/yr ≈ €2.1M€5.3MDecarbonization 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 →

Operator

Operated by Qatar Aluminium Ltd.

Local climate

Mesaieed aluminium plant sits in a hot desert climate zone (Köppen BWh), at 25.0°N in the northern hemisphere.

~24°Ctypical annual mean
~34°Ctypical warm-season
Hot desert: 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)
65/100environmental-severity index
17.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
31 kmdistance to coast
Very highCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1228 W/m² to ambient — roughly 0.94× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1167 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 24.96876, 51.57523. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a aluminium smelter, the main modular-insulation targets are alumina calciner, casthouse furnaces, hot ducting (electrolysis itself is electric). Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–1,000 °C.

electrolysis is mostly electricity (Scope 2) + anode process; on-site combustion small - insulation mainly relevant to alumina refining/casthouse.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 2,700 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 550 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 Mesaieed aluminium plant?

Mesaieed aluminium plant is a aluminium smelter in Qatar. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.

What capacity is listed for Mesaieed aluminium plant?

The open dataset lists 666,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Mesaieed aluminium plant.

How much CO₂ does Mesaieed aluminium plant emit?

The page uses about 1,415,342 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #7 among facilities in Qatar by estimated CO₂.

Where is Mesaieed aluminium plant located?

Mesaieed aluminium plant is in Qatar at approximately 24.96876, 51.57523.

Who operates Mesaieed aluminium plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Qatar Aluminium Ltd.

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