The Volta project

As announced last year, AGC and Saint-Gobain, worldwide flat glass manufacturers leading in sustainability, are collaborating in this project to come up with the design of a pilot breakthrough flat glass line that is expected to reduce very significantly its direct CO₂ emissions. As part of this R&D project, AGC’s patterned glass production line in Barevka, Czech Republic, will be entirely refurbished into a high performing & state-of-the-art line that targets to be 50% electrified and 50% fired by a combination of oxygen and gas. Focus is also put on circularity as the new line will operate at a high ratio of recycled materials, much higher than the industry standards. This is a technical breakthrough compared to current technology used in flat glass furnaces fired by natural gas. It will be the most sustainable flat glass line design contributing to both companies’ paths towards carbon neutrality and to the necessary acceleration of the flat glass industry’s decarbonization.

Cold repair ongoing

The so-called “cold repair”, the phase of the project where the furnace is cooled down and brought to a full stop, is now ongoing. These refurbished works will pave the way to the conversion of this production line equipped with the most advanced technologies possible. This next phase is expected to be implemented and the new furnace ready for operational success by early 2025. Besides the lowest carbon emissions possible, the refurbished plant will also reach the highest standards in terms of safety, environment (NOx, SOx), energy consumption and quality. 

Further details on the Volta project’s webpage 

The "Volta" R&D project is funded by the Innovation Fund of the European Union*. 

(*) Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.