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SeAH Steel Pohang plant

Steel Plant in South Korea. Approximate location 35.99133, 129.37484.

Steel PlantSouth KoreaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

SeAH Steel Pohang plant is a steel plant in South Korea. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels. It is operated by SeAh Steel Holdings Corp. It emits about 238,892 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 56k passenger cars.

1,200kt steel/yr (Global Energy Monitor)
238,892t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#36CO₂ rank in South Korea

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1567199.

Data status

Known source data

FacilitySeAH Steel Pohang plant Climate TRACE
CountrySouth Korea Climate TRACE
Coordinates35.99133, 129.37484 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoriron-and-steel Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorSeAh Steel Holdings Corp Climate TRACE
GEM steel parentSeAH Holdings Corp [100.0%] Global Energy Monitor
Steel process routeelectric Global Energy Monitor
Steel asset statusoperating Global Energy Monitor
Steel equipmentEAF Global Energy Monitor
Steel capacity1,200 ktpa Global Energy Monitor
Modelled CO₂e238,892 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

South Korea rank#36 of 51 · top 70.6% calculated
Global iron-and-steel rank#528 of 868 · top 60.8% 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

Subsector: iron-and-steel. As steel plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1500°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. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels.

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

What 238,892 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:

56kcars driven for a year
31khomes' annual energy use
4.0 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 239k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), SeAH Steel Pohang plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 239k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €18.0M/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 ≈5k t–12k t/yr, worth €360k€900k, 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).

239k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€18.0M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
5k t–12k t/yr ≈ €360k€900kDecarbonization 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 →

Operator

Operated by SeAh Steel Holdings Corp.

Local climate

SeAH Steel Pohang plant sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 36.0°N in the northern hemisphere.

~18°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season
Humid subtropical: 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
24.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
28 kmdistance to coast
HighCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1373 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.06× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1304 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

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 35.99133, 129.37484. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a steel plant, the main modular-insulation targets are reheat & annealing furnaces, ladles, hot-blast stoves, steam & gas ducting. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 200–1,200 °C.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 3,700 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 1,300 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:

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

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is SeAH Steel Pohang plant?

SeAH Steel Pohang plant is a steel plant in South Korea. Steel plants burn coal in blast furnaces or use electric arcs to melt scrap; in both cases the molten metal must be kept above 1,500°C and transferred through extensive hot piping and vessels.

How much CO₂ does SeAH Steel Pohang plant emit?

The page uses about 238,892 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #36 among facilities in South Korea by estimated CO₂.

Where is SeAH Steel Pohang plant located?

SeAH Steel Pohang plant is in South Korea at approximately 35.99133, 129.37484.

Who operates SeAH Steel Pohang plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is SeAh Steel Holdings Corp.

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