Nucor Steel Darlington plant — United States
Steel Plant in United States. Approximate location 34.37578, -79.89521.
Steel PlantUnited StatesCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Nucor Steel Darlington plant is a steel plant in United States. Its listed capacity is 910,000 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 Nucor Corp. By capacity it ranks #24 among 49 steel plants in United States. It emits about 91,166 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 0.02% of the CO₂e from the 1,910 facilities in United States that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 89% below the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1567121.
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
- SIJ Acroni Jesenice steel plant · 92,001 t CO₂e/yr · Slovenia
- ArcelorMittal Esch-Belval steel plant · 92,076 t CO₂e/yr · Luxembourg
- Nippon Sanyo Special Steel · 92,301 t CO₂e/yr · Japan
- Guizhou Hexing Steel Co Ltd · 92,719 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Kaptan Ereglisi steel plant · 89,129 t CO₂e/yr · Türkiye
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
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- Sonoco Products Co · Waste · 40 MW · 16 km
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PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 910,000 t of steel, Nucor Steel Darlington plant is around the median steel plant in United States (907,000 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 91,166 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 91k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Nucor Steel Darlington plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 91k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €6.9M/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).
Measured CO₂: 185k t/yr — verified GHGRP (reporting year 2023) (103% above the modelled estimate). Modelled estimate 91k t/yr (Climate TRACE), high-confidence match, cross-checked via the measured-vs-modelled dataset (n=711).
Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/t · EU ETS €85/t, September 10, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: measured (GHGRP RY2023), cross-checked vs Climate TRACE. Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice.
Capacity vs largest steel plants in United States
Listed capacity (t of steel), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by Nucor Corp. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
Nucor Steel Darlington plant sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 34.4°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 1329 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.02× 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 #24 largest of 49 steel plants in United States by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- Fiber Industries, LLC · Other Manufacturing · 52,983 t CO₂
- GALEY & LORD SOCIETY HILL · Other Manufacturing · 18,171 t CO₂
- Carolina Precision Foods · Food & Beverage
- Carolina Fresh Foods · Food & Beverage
- Ruiz Food Products, Inc. · Food & Beverage
- ARAUCO NORTH AMERICA, INC - BENNETTSVILLE MDF · Other Manufacturing · 5,770 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates 34.37578, -79.89521. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Nucor Steel Darlington plant?
Nucor Steel Darlington plant is a steel plant in United States. 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 Nucor Steel Darlington plant?
The open dataset lists 910,000 t of steel of capacity for Nucor Steel Darlington plant.
How much CO₂ does Nucor Steel Darlington plant emit?
The page uses about 91,166 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #661 among facilities in United States by estimated CO₂.
Where is Nucor Steel Darlington plant located?
Nucor Steel Darlington plant is in United States at approximately 34.37578, -79.89521.
Who operates Nucor Steel Darlington plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Nucor Corp.