LUXEMBOURG, May 23, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Ardagh Glass GmbH, part of Ardagh Glass
Packaging (AGP) - Europe, recently
began construction on a groundbreaking hybrid furnace to enable a
switch to renewable electricity at its glass production facility in
Obernkirchen, Germany. The hybrid
technology in the aptly named 'NextGen' furnace will lead to a
significant reduction in CO2 emissions, by as much as
60% in the furnace - an important step in achieving the emissions
target of Ardagh's 2030 Sustainability Strategy and a key milestone
in its journey towards decarbonisation.
This pioneering, large-scale hybrid electric furnace will be the
first of its kind that can run predominantly on renewable
electricity and a small amount of gas. It will use high levels of
recycled glass cullet to produce up to 350 tonnes of glass bottles
per day, primarily in amber glass, with the capability of making
other colours. It is expected that the furnace will become
operational and start to produce commercial glass containers later
this year.
Decarbonising the glass production process
Container glass production currently uses a mix of approximately
90% gas and 10% electricity. By inverting this energy mix in favour
of 80% renewable electricity and 20% gas, the new technology will
dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of glass packaging.
Martin Petersson, CEO of AGP –
Europe, comments: "Decarbonisation
is a key priority for our business and our customers. The NextGen
Furnace represents a significant investment in creating a
sustainable future for glass packaging, and we intend to roll-out
this and other low carbon solutions across other AGP facilities in
the coming years. We are grateful for the grant support provided by
BMWK1 and KEI which is helping to realise the benefits
of this new technology."
Annelene Ikemann, Sustainability Director at AGP - Europe, adds: "AGP is a leading supplier of
sustainable, infinitely recyclable glass packaging. Our NextGen
Furnace, in combination with our target to supply 100% renewable
electricity to our facilities by 2030, is a positive step forward
along our Sustainability Roadmap. In future phases of this project,
AGP aims to replace the remaining gas with green hydrogen, which
will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In subsequent steps
on our sustainability journey, we will look at a wider range of
alternative melting technologies as we decarbonise our other
facilities."
Committed to a low-carbon future
Ardagh is committed to decarbonising the glass production
process over the longer term, by replacing traditional gas-powered
furnaces with low-carbon furnaces, across all of the Group's glass
manufacturing operations globally.
[1]Bundesministerium fur Wirtschaft und
Klimaschutz (Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Protection)
and KEI: Klimaschutz in Energieintensiven Industrien (Climate
Protection in Energy-Intensive Industries) have provided a grant to
qualifying energy-intensive industries in Germany.
Ardagh Group is a global supplier of infinitely
recyclable metal and glass packaging for brand owners around the
world. Ardagh operates 65 metal and glass production facilities in
16 countries, employing more than 21,000 people with sales of
approximately $10bn.
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SOURCE Ardagh Group S.A.