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ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia

Chemical Plant in South Africa. Approximate location -26.67118, 29.93017.

Chemical PlantSouth AfricaCO₂ estimate (modelled)

ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia is a chemical plant in South Africa. Its listed capacity is 730,104 t of chemical. Chemical plants produce a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals, many requiring precise temperature control and sustained heat input for reactions and separations. By capacity it ranks #1 among 2 chemical plants in South Africa. It emits about 1,240,800 t CO₂e a year from Climate TRACE, roughly comparable to the annual emissions of 289k passenger cars. Its CO₂ per unit of capacity is 18% above the national median for this sector.

730,104t of chemical
1,240,800t CO₂e / yr (Climate TRACE)
#4CO₂ rank in South Africa
1.70t CO₂ per capacity unit

Facility data: Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0), id ct-33999217.

Data status

Known source data

FacilityZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia Climate TRACE
CountrySouth Africa Climate TRACE
Coordinates-26.67118, 29.93017 Climate TRACE
Sector / subsectorchemicals Climate TRACE
Reported capacity730,104 t of chemical Climate TRACE
Modelled CO₂e1,240,800 t/yr Climate TRACE

Calculated from the dataset

South Africa rank#4 of 24 · top 16.7% calculated
Global chemicals rank#121 of 393 · top 30.8% 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 730,104 t of chemical, ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia is around the median chemical plant in South Africa (730,104 t of chemical). Subsector: chemicals. As chemical plant, it requires high process heat (typically 100–500°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. Chemical plants produce a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals, many requiring precise temperature control and sustained heat input for reactions and separations.

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

What 1,240,800 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:

289kcars driven for a year
162khomes' annual energy use
21 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years

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

Carbon cost, Scope 1 & decarbonization potential

At its reported 1.2M t CO₂e/yr (Scope 1), ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia carries no domestic carbon price; chemical plants are not a CBAM-covered good, so there is no border-carbon liability. At the EU ETS reference price (€75/t) the emissions carry an indicative carbon value of €93.5M/yr. 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 ≈25k t–62k t/yr, worth €1.9M€4.7M, 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).

1.2M t CO₂e / yrScope 1 emissions
€93.5M/yrindicative carbon value (not a CBAM liability)
25k t–62k t/yr ≈ €1.9M€4.7MDecarbonization 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 →

Capacity vs largest chemical plants in South Africa

ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia: 730,104 t of chemical730kZAF-Gert S…ZAF-Fezile Dabi_methanol: 156,276 t of chemical156kZAF-Fezile…

Listed capacity (t of chemical), Climate TRACE v6 (asset-level capacity & CO₂e, CC BY 4.0).

Local climate

ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia sits in a subtropical highland climate zone (Köppen Cwb), at 26.7°S in the southern hemisphere.

~15°Ctypical annual mean
~20°Ctypical warm-season
Subtropical highland: 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
27/100environmental-severity index
9.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
280 kmdistance to coast
LowCUI risk tier

In this site’s local climate, a bare 150 °C surface sheds about 1350 W/m² to ambient — roughly 1.04× the loss at a 20 °C reference; removable insulation recovers about 1282 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

The #1 largest of 2 chemical plants in South Africa by listed capacity (Climate TRACE).

Nearby industrial sites

Location

Coordinates -26.67118, 29.93017. View on OpenStreetMap.

Heat loss & insulation profile

For a chemical plant, the main modular-insulation targets are reactors, crackers, distillation columns, heat exchangers, steam lines, valves & flanges. Typical hot-surface ranges used for screening: 150–500 °C.

Indicative recoverable energy

A first-pass insulation screen suggests about 24,000 MWh/year of recoverable heat-loss reduction and about 4,800 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 ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia?

ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia is a chemical plant in South Africa. Chemical plants produce a wide range of industrial and specialty chemicals, many requiring precise temperature control and sustained heat input for reactions and separations.

What capacity is listed for ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia?

The open dataset lists 730,104 t of chemical of capacity for ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia.

How much CO₂ does ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia emit?

The page uses about 1,240,800 t CO₂e/year from the open dataset It ranks #4 among facilities in South Africa by estimated CO₂.

Where is ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia located?

ZAF-Gert Sibande_ammonia is in South Africa at approximately -26.67118, 29.93017.

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