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Riebeeck Cement Plant

Cement Plant in South Africa. Approximate location -33.32084, 18.84361.

Cement PlantSouth AfricaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Riebeeck Cement Plant is a cement plant in South Africa. Its listed capacity is 530,000 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 PPC Ltd. By capacity it ranks #8 among 8 cement plants in South Africa. It emits about 150,188 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 35k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 22% below the national median for this sector.

530,000t of cement
150,188t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#20CO₂ rank in South Africa
0.28t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1898169.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityRiebeeck Cement Plant Climate TRACE
CountrySouth Africa Climate TRACE
Coordinates-33.32084, 18.84361 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorcement Climate TRACE
Reported capacity530,000 t of cement Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorPPC Ltd Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e150,188 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

South Africa rank#20 of 24 · top 83.3% calculated
Global cement rank#1951 of 2113 · top 92.3% 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 530,000 t of cement, Riebeeck Cement Plant is below the median cement plant in South Africa (1,300,000 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 150,188 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:

35kcars driven for a year
20khomes' annual energy use
2.5 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 150k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Riebeeck Cement Plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 150k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €11.3M/yr of exposure on EU-bound exports. CBAM share rises from 2.5% (2026) to 100% by 2034. 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 ≈3k t–8k t/yr, worth €226k€566k, with payback up to 2 years. 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).

150k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€11.3M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
3k t–8k t/yr ≈ €226k€566kDecarbonization potential

Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/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 South Africa

Lichtenburg Cement Plant: 2,400,000 t of cement2.4MLichtenbur…Slurry Cement Plant: 1,900,000 t of cement1.9MSlurry Cem…Ray Nkonyeni Cement Plant: 1,480,000 t of cement1.5MRay Nkonye…Sephaku Ditsobotla Cement Plant: 1,300,000 t of cement1.3MSephaku Di…Delportshoop Cement Plant: 1,250,000 t of cement1.2MDelportsho…Lime Acres Cement Plant: 947,368 t of cement947kLime Acres…De Hoek Cement Plant: 880,000 t of cement880kDe Hoek Ce…Riebeeck Cement Plant: 530,000 t of cement530kRiebeeck C…

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

Operator

Operated by PPC Ltd. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Riebeeck Cement Plant sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate zone (Köppen Csa), at 33.3°S in the southern hemisphere.

~17°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season
Hot-summer mediterranean: hot summers and mild winters

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)
33/100environmental-severity index
11.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
72 kmdistance to coast
ModerateCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1327 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.02× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1261 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 #8 largest of 8 cement plants in South Africa by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates -33.32084, 18.84361. 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 8,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 2,700 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.

External climate finance your country can access

For energy-efficiency projects around process heat, likely external funding channels include:

CBAM. Exporters of cement, steel, aluminium, fertiliser, hydrogen and electricity to the EU face the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — cutting embedded emissions (efficiency + insulation) lowers the levy.

Sources: country climate-finance facilities and public development-bank programmes.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Riebeeck Cement Plant?

Riebeeck Cement Plant is a cement plant in South Africa. 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 Riebeeck Cement Plant?

The open dataset lists 530,000 t of cement of capacity for Riebeeck Cement Plant.

How much CO₂ does Riebeeck Cement Plant emit?

The page uses about 150,188 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #20 among facilities in South Africa by estimated CO₂.

Where is Riebeeck Cement Plant located?

Riebeeck Cement Plant is in South Africa at approximately -33.32084, 18.84361.

Who operates Riebeeck Cement Plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is PPC Ltd.

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