Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant — South Africa
Aluminium Smelter in South Africa. Approximate location -28.76698, 32.03106.
Aluminium SmelterSouth AfricaCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant is an aluminium smelter in South Africa. Its listed capacity is 724,000 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 South32 Ltd. It emits about 1,602,048 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 8.7% of the CO₂e from the 24 facilities in South Africa that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 6% above the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673154.
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
- Friguia Bauxite Mine & Alumina Refinery · 1,577,749 t CO₂e/yr · Guinea
- Dongfang Xiwang aluminium plant · 1,657,608 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Dak Nong Nhan Co Bauxite Mine & Alumina Refinery · 1,504,608 t CO₂e/yr · Vietnam
- Neimeng aluminium plant · 1,700,110 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Ras Al Khair aluminium plant · 1,708,611 t CO₂e/yr · Saudi Arabia
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Richards Bay Gas to Power Plant 2 · Gas · 400 MW · 2 km
- Karpowership Richards Bay power station · Gas · 450 MW · 3 km
- Richards Bay Mill power station · Other · 150 MW · 4 km
- Nseleni Independent Floating power station · Gas · 2,800 MW · 4 km
- Richards Bay (Mhlathuze Energy) power station · Gas · 3,300 MW · 4 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 724,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant is around the median aluminium smelter in South Africa (724,000 t of alumina/aluminum). Subsector: aluminum. As aluminium smelter, it requires high process heat (typically 600–900°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. 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 1,602,048 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 1.6M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 1.6M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €121M/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).
Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/t · EU ETS €85/t, September 10, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: Climate TRACE. Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice.
Operator
Operated by South32 Ltd. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 28.8°S in the southern hemisphere.
Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1286 W/m² to ambient — roughly 0.99× 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
Nearby industrial sites
- SAPREF Durban Refinery · Refinery
- Engen Durban Refinery · Refinery
Location
Coordinates -28.76698, 32.03106. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant?
Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant is a aluminium smelter in South Africa. 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 Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant?
The open dataset lists 724,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant.
How much CO₂ does Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant emit?
The page uses about 1,602,048 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #3 among facilities in South Africa by estimated CO₂.
Where is Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant located?
Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant is in South Africa at approximately -28.76698, 32.03106.
Who operates Richards Bay, Hillside aluminium plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is South32 Ltd.