On 12 February, AGC Glass Europe and Saint-Gobain officially launched the Volta production line at AGC’s Barevka plant in Dubí, Czech Republic.
The century-old Barevka glass site is taking a leap into the future with ground-breaking technology that combines both electric melting and oxy-fuel combustion. Supported by the EU ETS Innovation Fund, the Volta project represents a breakthrough in low-carbon glass production. The collaboration between AGC Glass Europe and Saint-Gobain has led to a technological innovation designed to advance the industry decarbonisation efforts. Key advancements of the new production line include:
- Electric melting: Responsible for half of the plant’s energy consumption, this technology is expected to deliver substantial reductions in both energy use and CO2 emissions.
- Increased use of recycled materials: The facility aims to utilize up to 80% recycled glass, setting a new industry benchmark for circularity.
- Significant carbon footprint reduction: The project anticipates a 70% decrease in Scope 1-3 CO2 emissions.
Ahead of the launch, Monika Ladmanová, Head of the European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic, emphasized the project’s importance: “Europe leads in glass manufacturing but faces high energy costs. That is why we support innovative projects like this one, which is the largest innovation initiative in the Czech Republic.”
The Volta project is yet another example of the flat glass sector’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation to decarbonise its manufacturing processes. Many trials and tests will be carried out over the coming years to ensure that this new technology produces high quality output and is economically viable and stable enough to be scaled up to much larger float glass plants.
Yoshinori Hirai, AGC’s Representative Director and Senior Executive Vice President, acknowledged the challenges ahead: “Achieving carbon neutrality in glass manufacturing is a tremendous task, and collaboration is essential to reach this goal.” Benoît d’Iribarne, Senior Vice President of Technology & Industrial Performance at Saint-Gobain, echoed this sentiment: “We truly believe glass is very important to achieve climate neutrality”. He called the EU to do more to deliver on climate neutrality and reminded the key role of flat glass products in “enhancing insulation in houses, in office buildings but also by contributing to more efficient cars”.
