Yarwun Alumina Refinery — Australia
Aluminium Smelter in Australia. Approximate location -23.82684, 151.15372.
Aluminium SmelterAustraliaCO₂ estimate (modelled)
Yarwun Alumina Refinery is an aluminium smelter in Australia. Its listed capacity is 3,400,000 t of alumina/aluminum. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment. It is operated by Rio Tinto Ltd. By capacity it ranks #3 among 12 aluminium smelters in Australia. It emits about 4,459,950 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE. That is 9.8% of the CO₂e from the 30 facilities in Australia that have an emissions figure in IndustryAtlas. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 37% below the national median for this sector.
Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-43765108.
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
- Lingshi Alumina Refinery · 4,341,760 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture · 4,333,419 t CO₂e/yr · China
- Damanjodi Alumina Refinery · 4,322,364 t CO₂e/yr · India
- Taweelah Shaheen Alumina Refinery · 4,739,433 t CO₂e/yr · United Arab Emirates
- Fukang, Xinjiang aluminium plant · 4,149,320 t CO₂e/yr · China
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 3,400,000 t of alumina/aluminum, Yarwun Alumina Refinery is well above the median aluminium smelter in Australia (1,107,004 t of alumina/aluminum). Subsector: aluminum. As aluminium smelter, it requires high process heat (typically 600–900°C) for its core industrial operations, supplied by boilers, furnaces or direct combustion. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.
Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.
What 4,459,950 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 4.5M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Yarwun Alumina Refinery carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 4.5M t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €336M/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 aluminium smelters in Australia
Listed capacity (t of alumina/aluminum), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).
Operator
Operated by Rio Tinto Ltd. All facilities by this operator →
Local climate
Yarwun Alumina Refinery sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 23.8°S in the southern hemisphere.
Köppen zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.
In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1278 W/m² to ambient — roughly 0.98× 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 #3 largest of 12 aluminium smelters in Australia by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).
Nearby industrial sites
- Gladstone Cement Plant · Cement Plant · 362,639 t CO₂
- Boyne Island aluminium plant · Aluminium Smelter · 1,072,034 t CO₂
- Gladstone Region · Aluminium Smelter · 2,076,521 t CO₂
Location
Coordinates -23.82684, 151.15372. View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of facility is Yarwun Alumina Refinery?
Yarwun Alumina Refinery is a aluminium smelter in Australia. Aluminium smelters use large electric currents to refine alumina into molten aluminium above 900°C, and the hot metal must flow through crucibles and casting equipment.
What capacity is listed for Yarwun Alumina Refinery?
The open dataset lists 3,400,000 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Yarwun Alumina Refinery.
How much CO₂ does Yarwun Alumina Refinery emit?
The page uses about 4,459,950 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #4 among facilities in Australia by estimated CO₂.
Where is Yarwun Alumina Refinery located?
Yarwun Alumina Refinery is in Australia at approximately -23.82684, 151.15372.
Who operates Yarwun Alumina Refinery?
The operator recorded in the open dataset is Rio Tinto Ltd.