San Ciprian alumina refinery — Spain
Aluminium Smelter in Spain. Approximate location 43.69697, -7.45774.
Aluminium SmelterSpainCO₂ estimate (modelled)
San Ciprian alumina refinery is an aluminium smelter in Spain. 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 Alcoa Corp. It emits about 1,860,213 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 3.9% of the CO₂e from the 91 facilities in Spain that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-43765130.
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
- Nikolayev Alumina Refinery · 1,860,213 t CO₂e/yr · Ukraine
- Samalaju aluminium plant · 1,856,123 t CO₂e/yr · Malaysia
- Baotou, Inner Mongolia aluminium plant · 1,827,619 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Wenshan Alumina Refinery & Smelter · 1,899,520 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Qinghai Xiwang aluminium plant · 1,912,624 t CO₂e/yr · China
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Regodola nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 1,000 MW · 4 km
- SANTIAGO-JARES 2 · Hydro · 53 MW · 28 km
- P.E. LEBOREIRO · Wind · 21 MW · 33 km
- PARQUE EOLICO MURAS II · Wind · 24 MW · 33 km
- P.E. ALABE-MONTEMAYOR SUR · Wind · 13 MW · 37 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
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 1,860,213 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 1.9M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), San Ciprian alumina refinery carries €159M/yr of carbon at the full EU ETS price (€85/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.
Carbon price: EU ETS €85/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 Alcoa Corp. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
San Ciprian alumina refinery sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate zone (Köppen Csb), at 43.7°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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1379 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.06× 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
- San Ciprian aluminium plant · Aluminium Smelter · 20,116 t CO₂
- ALUMINIO ESPAÑOL, SA · Metals Plant · 403,000 t CO₂
- Megasa Siderúrgica Narón steel plant · Steel Plant · 70,159 t CO₂
- Grupo Empresarial ENCE S.A. Divisíon de Celulosa - Pulp Mill Navia · Pulp & Paper Mill · 209,957 t CO₂
- Lugo Province · Aluminium Smelter · 94,176 t CO₂
- ALCOA INESPAL, S.A. - LA CORUÑA · Metals Plant · 112,000 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates 43.69697, -7.45774. View on OpenStreetMap. Location shown at industrial-zone / municipality precision (shared source geocode).
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is San Ciprian alumina refinery?
San Ciprian alumina refinery is a aluminium smelter in Spain. 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.
How much CO₂ does San Ciprian alumina refinery emit?
The page uses about 1,860,213 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #7 among facilities in Spain by estimated CO₂.
Where is San Ciprian alumina refinery located?
San Ciprian alumina refinery is in Spain at approximately 43.69697, -7.45774.
Who operates San Ciprian alumina refinery?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Alcoa Corp.