U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works — United States
Steel Plant in United States. Approximate location 42.26318, -83.12155.
Steel PlantUnited StatesCO₂ estimate (modelled)Status: mothballed (GEM)
U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works is a steel plant in United States. Its listed capacity is 3,500,000 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 United States Steel Corp. By capacity it ranks #6 among 49 steel plants in United States. It emits about 3,518,986 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 0.62% 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 8% above the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-1567313.
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
- Daye Special Steel Co Ltd · 3,519,896 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Pingxiang Pinggang Anyuan Iron and Steel Co Ltd · 3,498,523 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Nippon Setouchi Works (Hirohata Area) steel plant · 3,541,361 t CO₂e/yr · Japan
- Saarstahl Völklingen Steelmaking Plant · 3,564,187 t CO₂e/yr · Germany
- SSAB Luleå steel plant · 3,570,588 t CO₂e/yr · Sweden
Same Climate TRACE subsector; closest non-placeholder modelled CO₂e values. Russia and Belarus excluded.
Operating power plants within 50 km
- River Rouge Power Plant · Coal · 651 MW · 1 km
- River Rouge · Coal · 369 MW · 1 km
- Brighton Beach · Gas · 580 MW · 3 km
- West Windsor · Gas · 123 MW · 3 km
- Delray · Gas · 142 MW · 4 km
PowerAtlas operating assets, ordered by great-circle distance from published coordinates.
In context: how this facility compares
At 3,500,000 t of steel, U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works 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 3,518,986 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 3.5M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 3.5M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €265M/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 United States Steel Corp. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate zone (Köppen Dfa), at 42.3°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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1405 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.08× 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 #6 largest of 49 steel plants in United States by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- US Steel - Great Lakes Works · Metals Plant · 153,616 t CO₂
- Carmeuse Lime Inc - River Rouge · Lime Plant · 395,057 t CO₂
- United States Gypsum · Metals Plant · 3,212 t CO₂
- WINDSOR ALUMINUM PLANT · Metals Plant · 707 t CO₂
- Marathon Detroit Refifnery · Refinery · 1,543,396 t CO₂
- Air Products and Chemicals Inc./Detroit Hydrogen Facility Marathon Refinery · Chemical Plant · 463,317 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates 42.26318, -83.12155. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works?
U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works 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 Great Lakes Works?
The open dataset lists 3,500,000 t of steel of capacity for U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works.
How much CO₂ does U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works emit?
The page uses about 3,518,986 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #29 among facilities in United States by estimated CO₂.
Where is U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works located?
U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works is in United States at approximately 42.26318, -83.12155.
Who operates U.S. Steel Great Lakes Works?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is United States Steel Corp.