Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter — Brazil
Aluminium Smelter in Brazil. Approximate location -2.70818, -44.34925.
Aluminium SmelterBrazilCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter is an aluminium smelter in Brazil. Its listed capacity is 3,850,000 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 Alcoa Corp. By capacity it ranks #2 among 6 aluminium smelters in Brazil. It emits about 6,392,925 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 4.6% of the CO₂e from the 130 facilities in Brazil that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 21% below the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-43765064.
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
- Worsley Alumina Refinery · 6,165,225 t CO₂e/yr · Australia
- Lanjigarh Alumina Refinery · 6,635,219 t CO₂e/yr · India
- São Luís Municipality · 6,865,403 t CO₂e/yr · Brazil
- Pinjarra Alcoa Alumina Refinery · 5,593,000 t CO₂e/yr · Australia
- Luliang Prefecture City · 5,262,008 t CO₂e/yr · China
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Alumar · Coal · 75 MW · 1 km
- Itaqui power station · Coal · 360 MW · 13 km
- CEUMA - ASSOCIACAO DE ENSINO SUPERIOR · Oil · 2 MW · 21 km
- Porto do Itaqui (Antiga Termomaranhão) · Coal · 360 MW · 21 km
- São Judas Tadeu power station (Maranhão) · Gas · 300 MW · 30 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 3,850,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter is well above the median aluminium smelter in Brazil (480,000 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 6,392,925 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 6.4M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 6.4M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €482M/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.
Capacity vs largest aluminium smelters in Brazil
Listed capacity (t of alumina/aluminum), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by Alcoa Corp. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter sits in a tropical savanna climate zone (Köppen Aw), at 2.7°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 1231 W/m² to ambient — roughly 0.95× 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 #2 largest of 6 aluminium smelters in Brazil by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- São Luis aluminium plant · Aluminium Smelter · 1,045,013 t CO₂
- São Luís Municipality · Aluminium Smelter · 6,865,403 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates -2.70818, -44.34925. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter?
Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter is a aluminium smelter in Brazil. 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 Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter?
The open dataset lists 3,850,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter.
How much CO₂ does Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter emit?
The page uses about 6,392,925 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #6 among facilities in Brazil by estimated CO₂.
Where is Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter located?
Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter is in Brazil at approximately -2.70818, -44.34925.
Who operates Sao Luis Alumina Refinery and Aluminum Smelter?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Alcoa Corp.