Three US glass manufacturers have been selected to begin award negotiations from a US$6 billion government funding opportunity.
The projects chosen are part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program from the US Department of Energy which aims to reduce emissions from manufacturing processes.
The selected glass projects are:
Gallo Glass: Hybrid Electric Glass Furnace Project (Modesto, CA) - up to $75 million in federal cost share to install a demonstration hybrid electric furnace to reduce natural gas use by 70% and increase recycled content by 30% in its glass bottle production process.
Libbey Glass: Flexible Fuel Electric Hybrid Glass Furnace Demonstration (Toledo, OH) - up to $45.1 million in federal cost share to replace four regenerative furnaces with two larger hybrid electric furnaces to reduce an estimated 60% of carbon dioxide emissions.
O-I Glass: Glass Furnace Decarbonization Technology (Zanesville, OH; Toano, VA; Tracy, CA) - up to $125 million in federal cost share to rebuild four furnaces to reduce scope one carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 40% across three facilities.
O-I said its project would: Reduce scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions an average of 40% and reduce process NOx emissions across the furnaces and their production lines.
*Demonstrate the functionality of combining multiple technologies across different glass colours and container shapes; and
*Support up to 1,200 construction jobs across the four furnaces, including greater community engagement and support.
Libbey said the selected project intends to co-invest in retrofitting its Toledo, Ohio manufacturing facility to demonstrate low-emissions glass furnace hybrid technology with flexibility to shift from oxygen-gas fuel to electric melting.
The project, if funded, calls for OCED to invest up to $45.1M with matching funds from Libbey to support a five-year, $90M investment to replace and upgrade four regenerative glass melting furnaces with two larger hybrid electric glass melting furnaces.
The estimated environmental benefits include a reduction of up to 60% of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacture of glass tableware products at the facility located in Toledo.
Jim Burmeister, Libbey’s Chief Operations Officer, and project sponsor, said: "Libbey’s glass tableware made in Toledo, OH, such as drinking glasses and stemware, have some of the highest glass product quality standards in the market. This project builds on Libbey’s legacy of innovation, and it will demonstrate the viability of electrification as an alternative fuel source for the entire glass industry."
He added it will create more than 250 constructions jobs while also increasing other employment opportunities
The glassmakers are among 33 industrial companies selected to begin award negotiations from the $6 billion funding opportunity for the Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP), led by DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED).
Funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the projects will create thousands of jobs and help accelerate the commercial-scale demonstration of emerging industrial decarbonisation technologies.
