Nucor Steel Kankakee plant — United States
Steel Plant in United States. Approximate location 41.18273, -87.85786.
Steel PlantUnited StatesCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Nucor Steel Kankakee plant is a steel plant in United States. Its listed capacity is 794,000 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 Kankakee Inc. By capacity it ranks #31 among 49 steel plants in United States. It emits about 59,273 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 0.01% 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 92% below the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1567128.
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
- Agha Steel Industries Karachi plant · 59,702 t CO₂e/yr · Pakistan
- DaehanSteel Noksan Steel Plant · 58,839 t CO₂e/yr · South Korea
- Riva Hennigsdorfer Electric Steel Works · 59,812 t CO₂e/yr · Germany
- Salzgitter Peiner Träger Peine steel plant · 59,812 t CO₂e/yr · Germany
- Yichang Fulong Iron and Steel Co Ltd · 59,870 t CO₂e/yr · China
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- CSL Behring LLC · Gas · 4 MW · 3 km
- Kankakee Hydro Facility · Hydro · 1 MW · 8 km
- Lincoln Generating Facility · Gas · 696 MW · 24 km
- Pilot Hill Wind Farm · Wind · 175 MW · 26 km
- Prairie View IL · Waste · 5 MW · 27 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 794,000 t of steel, Nucor Steel Kankakee 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 59,273 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 59k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Nucor Steel Kankakee plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 59k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €4.5M/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: 120k t/yr — verified GHGRP (reporting year 2023) (102% above the modelled estimate). Modelled estimate 59k 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 Kankakee Inc.
Local climate
Nucor Steel Kankakee plant sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate zone (Köppen Dfa), at 41.2°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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1400 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.08× 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 #31 largest of 49 steel plants in United States by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- CSL BEHRING LLC · Chemical Plant · 51,127 t CO₂
- Brick Stone Restaurant Brwry. · Food & Beverage
- Bunge Oil · Food & Beverage · 171 t CO₂
- Kensing LLC · Chemical Plant · 32,724 t CO₂
- Momence · Food & Beverage
- Peoria Packing Ltd · Food & Beverage
Location
Coordinates 41.18273, -87.85786. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Nucor Steel Kankakee plant?
Nucor Steel Kankakee 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 Kankakee plant?
The open dataset lists 794,000 t of steel of capacity for Nucor Steel Kankakee plant.
How much CO₂ does Nucor Steel Kankakee plant emit?
The page uses about 59,273 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #868 among facilities in United States by estimated CO₂.
Where is Nucor Steel Kankakee plant located?
Nucor Steel Kankakee plant is in United States at approximately 41.18273, -87.85786.
Who operates Nucor Steel Kankakee plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Nucor Steel Kankakee Inc.