Nucor Steel Decatur plant — United States
Steel Plant in United States. Approximate location 34.63881, -87.08937.
Steel PlantUnited StatesCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Nucor Steel Decatur plant is a steel plant in United States. Its listed capacity is 3,100,000 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 Steel Decatur LLC. By capacity it ranks #9 among 49 steel plants in United States. It emits about 963,527 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 0.17% 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 66% below the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1567126.
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
- Sider El Hadjar Annaba steel plant · 951,644 t CO₂e/yr · Algeria
- CAP Acero Huachipato steel plant · 947,868 t CO₂e/yr · Chile
- AVB Açailândia steel plant · 940,896 t CO₂e/yr · Brazil
- Butia Steel Kerman plant · 991,955 t CO₂e/yr · Iran
- ArcelorMittal Montreal steel plant · 933,302 t CO₂e/yr · Canada
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Decatur-Morgan Co LFG Recovery Project · Waste · 2 MW · 2 km
- Morgan Energy Center · Gas · 900 MW · 2 km
- Decatur Energy Center · Gas · 902 MW · 6 km
- Browns Ferry · Nuclear · 3,494 MW · 8 km
- Browns Ferry nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 3,775 MW · 8 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 3,100,000 t of steel, Nucor Steel Decatur plant is well above 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 963,527 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 964k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Nucor Steel Decatur plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 964k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €72.6M/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: 452k t/yr — verified GHGRP (reporting year 2023) (53% below the modelled estimate). Modelled estimate 964k 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 Steel Decatur LLC.
Local climate
Nucor Steel Decatur plant sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 34.6°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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1344 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.03× 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 #9 largest of 49 steel plants in United States by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- HEXCEL CORPORATION · Other Manufacturing · 45,401 t CO₂
- Indorama Ventures, Xylenes and PTA, LLC · Chemical Plant · 275,101 t CO₂
- AlphaPET, Inc. · Other Manufacturing · 43,351 t CO₂
- Wayne Farms Llc · Food & Beverage
- Wfsp Foods, Llc · Food & Beverage
- Wayne Farms Llc · Food & Beverage
Location
Coordinates 34.63881, -87.08937. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Nucor Steel Decatur plant?
Nucor Steel Decatur 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 Decatur plant?
The open dataset lists 3,100,000 t of steel of capacity for Nucor Steel Decatur plant.
How much CO₂ does Nucor Steel Decatur plant emit?
The page uses about 963,527 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #126 among facilities in United States by estimated CO₂.
Where is Nucor Steel Decatur plant located?
Nucor Steel Decatur plant is in United States at approximately 34.63881, -87.08937.
Who operates Nucor Steel Decatur plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Nucor Steel Decatur LLC.