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Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant

Steel Plant in Belgium. Approximate location 50.40983, 4.43054.

Steel PlantBelgiumCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant is a steel plant in Belgium. 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 Thy-Marcinelle SA. It emits about 51,699 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 12k passenger cars.

800kt steel/yr (Global Energy Monitor)
51,699t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#22CO₂ rank in Belgium

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1566443.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityThy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant Climate TRACE
CountryBelgium Climate TRACE
Coordinates50.40983, 4.43054 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoriron-and-steel Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorThy-Marcinelle SA Climate TRACE
GEM steel parentRiva Forni Elettrici SpA [100.0%] Global Energy Monitor
Steel process routeelectric Global Energy Monitor
Steel asset statusoperating Global Energy Monitor
Steel equipmentEAF Global Energy Monitor
Steel capacity800 ktpa Global Energy Monitor
Modelled CO₂e51,699 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Belgium rank#22 of 22 · top 100.0% calculated
Global iron-and-steel rank#764 of 868 · top 88.0% 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 51,699 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:

12kcars driven for a year
6.7khomes' annual energy use
862ktree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 52k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant carries €4.1M/yr of carbon at the full EU ETS price (€79/t CO₂). Free allocation phases out to 2034 (Reg. (EU) 2023/956), so today's bill is lower and rising toward this full-price figure. 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 ≈1k t–3k t/yr, worth €82k€205k, with payback up to 2 years.

52k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€4.1M/yrcarbon value · full EU ETS price
1k t–3k t/yr ≈ €82k€205kDecarbonization potential

Carbon price: EU ETS €79/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 Thy-Marcinelle SA.

Local climate

Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant sits in a temperate oceanic climate zone (Köppen Cfb), at 50.4°N in the northern hemisphere.

~11°Ctypical annual mean
~18°Ctypical warm-season
Temperate oceanic: 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
28/100environmental-severity index
15.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
129 kmdistance to coast
ModerateCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1400 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.08× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1330 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 50.40983, 4.43054. 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 3,600 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 1,200 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.

EU policy pressure on this sector

Obligation

This facility is inside the EU. For thermal equipment, insulation upgrades can support ETS exposure reduction and energy-efficiency compliance.

Sources: EU ETS, CBAM and national energy-efficiency schemes.

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant?

Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant is a steel plant in Belgium. 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 Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant emit?

The page uses about 51,699 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #22 among facilities in Belgium by estimated CO₂.

Where is Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant located?

Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant is in Belgium at approximately 50.40983, 4.43054.

Who operates Thy Marcinelle Charleroi steel plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Thy-Marcinelle SA.

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