U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant — United States
Steel Plant in United States. Approximate location 35.64421, -89.94338.
Steel PlantUnited StatesCO₂ estimate (modelled)
U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant is a steel plant in United States. Its listed capacity is 4,668,437 t of steel. 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 Big River Steel LLC. By capacity it ranks #4 among 49 steel plants in United States. It emits about 553,775 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 0.10% of the CO₂e from the 1,910 facilities in United States that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 87% below the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1567109.
Data status
Known source data
Calculated from the dataset
Not available
Source data, measured cross-checks and calculated values are kept separate. No confidence percentage is invented.
Similar facilities by modelled emissions
- Aceria Angola Bengo steel plant · 541,500 t CO₂e/yr · Angola
- Steel Dynamics Columbus plant · 535,934 t CO₂e/yr · United States
- Arvand Jahanara Steel Khouzestan plant · 532,260 t CO₂e/yr · Iran
- Jai Balaji Durgapur Unit IV steel plant · 530,250 t CO₂e/yr · India
- Ezz Steel Rebar Sadat City plant · 527,495 t CO₂e/yr · Egypt
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- Plum Point Energy Station · Coal · 1,385 MW · 2 km
- Plum Point Energy Station · Coal · 720 MW · 2 km
- Osceola (AR) · Oil · 2 MW · 7 km
- Dell Power Station · Gas · 679 MW · 25 km
- Millington Solar Farm · Solar · 53 MW · 34 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 4,668,437 t of steel, U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant is well above the median steel plant in United States (907,000 t of steel). Subsector: iron-and-steel. As steel plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1500°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. 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 553,775 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:
Equivalencies: US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies. Emissions: Climate TRACE.
Carbon cost and Scope 1 emissions
At its reported 554k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 554k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €41.7M/yr of exposure on EU-bound exports. CBAM share rises from 2.5% (2026) to 100% by 2034. 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).
Carbon price: EU CBAM €75/t · EU ETS €85/t, September 10, 2026, refreshed live via Carbon Hub. CO₂: Climate TRACE. Indicative carbon value, not the cash bill — free allocation applies; not compliance advice.
Capacity vs largest steel plants in United States
Listed capacity (t of steel), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by Big River Steel LLC.
Local climate
U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 35.6°N in the northern hemisphere.
Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1345 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.03× the loss at a 20 °C reference. 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).
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 #4 largest of 49 steel plants in United States by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- Hybar Arkansas steel plant · Steel Plant
- Barakat Slaughter House, Llc · Food & Beverage
- Wells Processing Plant · Food & Beverage
- Nucor Steel Hickman plant · Steel Plant · 792,773 t CO₂
- Nucor-Yamato Steel Blytheville plant · Steel Plant · 355,634 t CO₂
- Arkema Inc. · Chemical Plant · 13,736 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates 35.64421, -89.94338. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant?
U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant is a steel plant in United States. 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.
What capacity is listed for U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant?
The open dataset lists 4,668,437 t of steel of capacity for U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant.
How much CO₂ does U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant emit?
The page uses about 553,775 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #231 among facilities in United States by estimated CO₂.
Where is U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant located?
U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant is in United States at approximately 35.64421, -89.94338.
Who operates U.S. Steel Big River Steel plant?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Big River Steel LLC.