Home / Europe / Belgium / Cement plants / Obourg Cement Plant

Obourg Cement Plant

Cement Plant in Belgium. Approximate location 50.47267, 3.99263.

Cement PlantBelgiumCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Obourg Cement Plant is a cement plant in Belgium. Its listed capacity is 1,700,000 t of cement. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length. It is operated by Holcim (Belgique) SA. By capacity it ranks #2 among 2 cement plants in Belgium. It emits about 591,351 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 138k passenger cars.

1,700,000t of cement
591,351t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#8CO₂ rank in Belgium
0.35t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-32437253.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityObourg Cement Plant Climate TRACE
CountryBelgium Climate TRACE
Coordinates50.47267, 3.99263 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorcement Climate TRACE
Reported capacity1,700,000 t of cement Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorHolcim (Belgique) SA Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e591,351 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Belgium rank#8 of 22 · top 36.4% calculated
Global cement rank#991 of 2113 · top 46.9% 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 1,700,000 t of cement, Obourg Cement Plant is below the median cement plant in Belgium (2,300,000 t of cement). Subsector: cement. As cement plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1400°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. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.

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

What 591,351 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:

138kcars driven for a year
77khomes' annual energy use
9.9 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 591k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Obourg Cement Plant carries €47.0M/yr of carbon at the full EU ETS price (€79/t CO₂). Free allocation phases out to 2034 (Reg. (EU) 2023/956), so today's bill is lower and rising toward this full-price figure. 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 ≈12k t–30k t/yr, worth €940k€2.3M, with payback up to 2 years.

591k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€47.0M/yrcarbon value · full EU ETS price
12k t–30k t/yr ≈ €940k€2.3MDecarbonization potential

Carbon price: EU ETS €79/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 cement plants in Belgium

Gaurain Cement Plant: 2,300,000 t of cement2.3MGaurain Ce…Obourg Cement Plant: 1,700,000 t of cement1.7MObourg Cem…

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

Operator

Operated by Holcim (Belgique) SA.

Local climate

Obourg Cement Plant sits in a temperate oceanic climate zone (Köppen Cfb), at 50.5°N in the northern hemisphere.

~11°Ctypical annual mean
~18°Ctypical warm-season
Temperate oceanic: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

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 a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
28/100environmental-severity index
14.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
101 kmdistance to coast
ModerateCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1405 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.08× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1335 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 #2 largest of 2 cement plants in Belgium by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 50.47267, 3.99263. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a cement plant, the main modular-insulation targets are rotary kiln shell, preheater tower, tertiary air duct & kiln hood, clinker-cooler ducts, valves. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 200–1,000 °C.

60% of cement CO2 is process calcination - NOT insulation-addressable; energy here is the fuel side only.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 11,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 3,900 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.

EU policy pressure on this sector

Obligation

This facility is inside the EU. For thermal equipment, insulation upgrades can support ETS exposure reduction and energy-efficiency compliance.

Sources: EU ETS, CBAM and national energy-efficiency schemes.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Obourg Cement Plant?

Obourg Cement Plant is a cement plant in Belgium. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.

What capacity is listed for Obourg Cement Plant?

The open dataset lists 1,700,000 t of cement of capacity for Obourg Cement Plant.

How much CO₂ does Obourg Cement Plant emit?

The page uses about 591,351 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #8 among facilities in Belgium by estimated CO₂.

Where is Obourg Cement Plant located?

Obourg Cement Plant is in Belgium at approximately 50.47267, 3.99263.

Who operates Obourg Cement Plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Holcim (Belgique) SA.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.