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South Korea

Chemical Plant in South Korea. Approximate location 36.4276, 127.82132.

Chemical PlantSouth KoreaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

South Korea is a chemical plant in South Korea. Its listed capacity is 394,884 t of chemical. Chemical plants produce a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals, many requiring precise temperature control and sustained heat input for reactions and separations. It emits about 130,609 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 30k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 77% below the national median for this sector.

394,884t of chemical
130,609t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#42CO₂ rank in South Korea
0.33t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-32267405.

Data status

Known source data

FacilitySouth Korea Climate TRACE
CountrySouth Korea Climate TRACE
Coordinates36.4276, 127.82132 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorchemicals Climate TRACE
Reported capacity394,884 t of chemical Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e130,609 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

South Korea rank#42 of 51 · top 82.4% calculated
Global chemicals rank#310 of 393 · top 78.9% calculated
Climate contextderived from coordinates calculated

Not available

Owner / operatorNot available not in dataset
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 394,884 t of chemical, South Korea is around the median chemical plant in South Korea (394,884 t of chemical). Subsector: chemicals. As chemical plant, it requires high process heat (typically 100–500°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. Chemical plants produce a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals, many requiring precise temperature control and sustained heat input for reactions and separations.

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

What 130,609 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:

30kcars driven for a year
17khomes' annual energy use
2.2 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 131k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), South Korea carries no domestic carbon price; chemical plants are not a CBAM-covered good, so there is no border-carbon liability. At the EU ETS reference price (€75/t) the emissions carry an indicative carbon value of €9.8M/yr. 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–7k t/yr, worth €197k€492k, 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).

131k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€9.8M/yrindicative carbon value (not a CBAM liability)
3k t–7k t/yr ≈ €197k€492kDecarbonization 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 →

Local climate

South Korea sits in a monsoon hot-summer continental climate zone (Köppen Dwa), at 36.4°N in the northern hemisphere.

~10°Ctypical annual mean
~25°Ctypical warm-season
Monsoon hot-summer continental: 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
27.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
142 kmdistance to coast
LowCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1386 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.07× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1317 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 36.4276, 127.82132. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a chemical plant, the main modular-insulation targets are reactors, crackers, distillation columns, heat exchangers, steam lines, valves & flanges. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–500 °C.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 10,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 2,100 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 South Korea?

South Korea is a chemical plant in South Korea. Chemical plants produce a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals, many requiring precise temperature control and sustained heat input for reactions and separations.

What capacity is listed for South Korea?

The open dataset lists 394,884 t of chemical of capacity for South Korea.

How much CO₂ does South Korea emit?

The page uses about 130,609 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #42 among facilities in South Korea by estimated CO₂.

Where is South Korea located?

South Korea is in South Korea at approximately 36.4276, 127.82132.

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