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Talcahuano Cement Plant

Cement Plant in Chile. Approximate location -36.75106, -73.12936.

Cement PlantChileCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Talcahuano Cement Plant is a cement plant in Chile. Its listed capacity is 750,000 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 Cementos Bio Bio SA. By capacity it ranks #2 among 2 cement plants in Chile. It emits about 17,991 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 4.2k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 93% below the national median for this sector.

750,000t of cement
17,991t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#19CO₂ rank in Chile
0.02t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-32437358.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityTalcahuano Cement Plant Climate TRACE
CountryChile Climate TRACE
Coordinates-36.75106, -73.12936 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorcement Climate TRACE
Reported capacity750,000 t of cement Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorCementos Bio Bio SA Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e17,991 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Chile rank#19 of 20 · top 95.0% calculated
Global cement rank#2106 of 2113 · top 99.7% 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 750,000 t of cement, Talcahuano Cement Plant is below the median cement plant in Chile (1,050,000 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 17,991 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:

4.2kcars driven for a year
2.3khomes' annual energy use
300ktree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 18k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Talcahuano Cement Plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 18k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €1.4M/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 ≈360 t–900 t/yr, worth €27k€68k, 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).

18k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€1.4M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
360 t–900 t/yr ≈ €27k€68kDecarbonization 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 Chile

Cerro Blanco Cement Plant: 1,050,000 t of cement1.0MCerro Blan…Talcahuano Cement Plant: 750,000 t of cement750kTalcahuano…

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

Operator

Operated by Cementos Bio Bio SA. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Talcahuano Cement Plant sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate zone (Köppen Csb), at 36.8°S in the southern hemisphere.

~14°Ctypical annual mean
~21°Ctypical warm-season
Warm-summer mediterranean: 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
8.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
11 kmdistance to coast
Very highCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1375 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.06× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1306 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 #2 largest of 2 cement plants in Chile by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates -36.75106, -73.12936. 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 8,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 2,700 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:

CBAM. Exporters of cement, steel, aluminium, fertiliser, hydrogen and electricity to the EU face the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — cutting embedded emissions (efficiency + insulation) lowers the levy.

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

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Talcahuano Cement Plant?

Talcahuano Cement Plant is a cement plant in Chile. 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 Talcahuano Cement Plant?

The open dataset lists 750,000 t of cement of capacity for Talcahuano Cement Plant.

How much CO₂ does Talcahuano Cement Plant emit?

The page uses about 17,991 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #19 among facilities in Chile by estimated CO₂.

Where is Talcahuano Cement Plant located?

Talcahuano Cement Plant is in Chile at approximately -36.75106, -73.12936.

Who operates Talcahuano Cement Plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Cementos Bio Bio SA.

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