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Yumbo Cement Plant

Cement Plant in Colombia. Approximate location 3.56256, -76.4884.

Cement PlantColombiaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

Yumbo Cement Plant is a cement plant in Colombia. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length. It is operated by Cementos Argos SA. It emits about 590,310 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 138k passenger cars.

590,310t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#5CO₂ rank in Colombia

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-32438291.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityYumbo Cement Plant Climate TRACE
CountryColombia Climate TRACE
Coordinates3.56256, -76.4884 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorcement Climate TRACE
Owner / operatorCementos Argos SA Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e590,310 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

Colombia rank#5 of 20 · top 25.0% calculated
Global cement rank#992 of 2113 · top 46.9% 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: cement. As cement plant, it requires high process heat (typically 800–1400°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. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.

Capacity & CO₂-intensity comparison computed from Climate TRACE industrial facilities data; sector role based on engineering reference.

What 590,310 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:

138kcars driven for a year
77khomes' annual energy use
9.8 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 590k t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), Yumbo Cement Plant carries no domestic carbon price — and as a CBAM-covered product, its 590k t at the EU CBAM rate (€75/t) is €44.5M/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 ≈12k t–30k t/yr, worth €890k€2.2M, 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).

590k t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€44.5M/yrCBAM exposure on EU exports
12k t–30k t/yr ≈ €890k€2.2MDecarbonization 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 →

Operator

Operated by Cementos Argos SA. All facilities by this operator →

Local climate

Yumbo Cement Plant sits in a tropical rainforest climate zone (Köppen Af), at 3.6°N in the northern hemisphere.

~26°Ctypical annual mean
~27°Ctypical warm-season
Tropical rainforest: hot and humid year-round with little seasonal variation

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)
39/100environmental-severity index
0.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
87 kmdistance to coast
HighCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1262 W/m² to ambient — roughly 0.97× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1199 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 3.56256, -76.4884. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a cement plant, the main modular-insulation targets are rotary kiln shell, preheater tower, tertiary air duct & kiln hood, clinker-cooler ducts, valves. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 200–1,000 °C.

60% of cement CO2 is process calcination - NOT insulation-addressable; energy here is the fuel side only.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 11,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 3,900 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:

CBAM. Exporters of cement, steel, aluminium, fertiliser, hydrogen and electricity to the EU face the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — cutting embedded emissions (efficiency + insulation) lowers the levy.

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

Frequently asked questions

What type of facility is Yumbo Cement Plant?

Yumbo Cement Plant is a cement plant in Colombia. Cement plants heat limestone to 1,400°C in rotary kilns — one of the hottest industrial processes — and must control temperature precisely across the entire kiln length.

How much CO₂ does Yumbo Cement Plant emit?

The page uses about 590,310 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #5 among facilities in Colombia by estimated CO₂.

Where is Yumbo Cement Plant located?

Yumbo Cement Plant is in Colombia at approximately 3.56256, -76.4884.

Who operates Yumbo Cement Plant?

The operator recorded in the open dataset is Cementos Argos SA.

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