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Yeongam County

Aluminium Smelter in South Korea. Approximate location 34.79491, 126.61824.

Aluminium SmelterSouth KoreaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Yeongam County is an aluminium smelter in South Korea. Its listed capacity is 7,934 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 emits about 16,579 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 3.9k passenger cars.

7,934t of alumina/aluminum
16,579t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#51CO₂ rank in South Korea
2.09t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-3673102.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityYeongam County Climate TRACE
CountrySouth Korea Climate TRACE
Coordinates34.79491, 126.61824 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectoraluminum Climate TRACE
Reported capacity7,934 t of alumina/aluminum Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e16,579 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

South Korea rank#51 of 51 · top 100.0% calculated
Global aluminum rank#246 of 257 · top 95.7% calculated
Climate contextderived from coordinates calculated

Not available

Owner / operatorNot available not in dataset
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 7,934 t of alumina/aluminum, Yeongam County is around the median aluminium smelter in South Korea (7,934 t of alumina/aluminum). Subsector: aluminum. As aluminium smelter, it requires high process heat (typically 600–900°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. 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 16,579 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:

3.9kcars driven for a year
2.2khomes' annual energy use
276ktree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 17k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Yeongam County carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 17k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €1.2M/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 ≈332 t–829 t/yr, worth €25k€62k, 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).

17k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€1.2M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
332 t–829 t/yr ≈ €25k€62kDecarbonization 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 →

Local climate

Yeongam County sits in a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), at 34.8°N in the northern hemisphere.

~18°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season
Humid subtropical: hot summers and mild winters

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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
46/100environmental-severity index
24.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
34 kmdistance to coast
HighCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1361 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.05× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1293 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 34.79491, 126.61824. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a aluminium smelter, the main modular-insulation targets are alumina calciner, casthouse furnaces, hot ducting (electrolysis itself is electric). Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–1,000 °C.

electrolysis is mostly electricity (Scope 2) + anode process; on-site combustion small - insulation mainly relevant to alumina refining/casthouse.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 1,800 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 360 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:

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

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Yeongam County?

Yeongam County is a aluminium smelter in South Korea. 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 Yeongam County?

The open dataset lists 7,934 t of alumina/aluminum of capacity for Yeongam County.

How much CO₂ does Yeongam County emit?

The page uses about 16,579 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #51 among facilities in South Korea by estimated CO₂.

Where is Yeongam County located?

Yeongam County is in South Korea at approximately 34.79491, 126.61824.

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