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Southern Cement Samawah Plant

Cement Plant in Iraq. Approximate location 31.29999, 45.30027.

Cement PlantIraqCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Southern Cement Samawah Plant is a cement plant in Iraq. Its listed capacity is 401,000 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 Southern Cement State Co. By capacity it ranks #9 among 12 cement plants in Iraq. It emits about 342,605 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 80k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 136% above the national median for this sector.

401,000t of cement
342,605t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#18CO₂ rank in Iraq
0.85t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-32438745.

Data status

Known source data

FacilitySouthern Cement Samawah Plant Climate TRACE
CountryIraq Climate TRACE
Coordinates31.29999, 45.30027 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorcement Climate TRACE
Reported capacity401,000 t of cement Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorSouthern Cement State Co Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e342,605 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Iraq rank#18 of 37 · top 48.6% calculated
Global cement rank#1550 of 2113 · top 73.4% 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 401,000 t of cement, Southern Cement Samawah Plant is below the median cement plant in Iraq (1,900,000 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 342,605 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:

80kcars driven for a year
45khomes' annual energy use
5.7 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 343k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Southern Cement Samawah Plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 343k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €25.8M/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 ≈7k t–17k t/yr, worth €516k€1.3M, 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).

343k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€25.8M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
7k t–17k t/yr ≈ €516k€1.3MDecarbonization 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 Iraq

Tainal Cement Plant: 6,000,000 t of cement6.0MTainal Cem…Sulaymaniyah Cement Plant: 2,500,000 t of cement2.5MSulaymaniy…Chaqzhi Saroo Cement Plant: 2,300,000 t of cement2.3MChaqzhi Sa…Al Khinaq Cement Plant: 1,959,000 t of cement2.0MAl Khinaq …Bazian Cement Plant: 1,934,000 t of cement1.9MBazian Cem…Southern Cement Karbala Plant 2: 1,900,000 t of cement1.9MSouthern C…Southern Cement Maz'al an Nasir Plant 1: 1,781,000 t of cement1.8MSouthern C…Badush Cement Plant: 1,300,000 t of cement1.3MBadush Cem…

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

Operator

Operated by Southern Cement State Co. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Southern Cement Samawah Plant sits in a hot desert climate zone (Köppen BWh), at 31.3°N in the northern hemisphere.

~24°Ctypical annual mean
~34°Ctypical warm-season
Hot desert: 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
48/100environmental-severity index
25.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
363 kmdistance to coast
LowCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1259 W/m² to ambient — roughly 0.97× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1196 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 #9 largest of 12 cement plants in Iraq by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates 31.29999, 45.30027. 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 9,400 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 3,200 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 Southern Cement Samawah Plant?

Southern Cement Samawah Plant is a cement plant in Iraq. 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 Southern Cement Samawah Plant?

The open dataset lists 401,000 t of cement of capacity for Southern Cement Samawah Plant.

How much CO₂ does Southern Cement Samawah Plant emit?

The page uses about 342,605 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #18 among facilities in Iraq by estimated CO₂.

Where is Southern Cement Samawah Plant located?

Southern Cement Samawah Plant is in Iraq at approximately 31.29999, 45.30027.

Who operates Southern Cement Samawah Plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Southern Cement State Co.

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