Building materials maker Saint-Gobain and glass manufacturer AGC Group have announced a joint collaboration to deploy a large-scale, highly electrified hybrid furnace for flat glass production, aimed at substantially cutting direct carbon emissions.
The new furnace will be constructed at Saint-Gobain’s facility in Avilés, Spain, replacing the site’s existing installation. Works are scheduled to commence in January 2027, with commercial production targeted to resume in the second half of 2027.
Titled the FurHy project, the initiative builds upon the technological partnership established between Saint-Gobain and AGC Glass Europe during the 2023 VOLTA project—a smaller pilot electrified furnace operating in the Czech Republic that confirmed the technical feasibility of glass manufacturing decarbonisation.
The hybrid furnace will achieve 75% electrification of the melting process, making it the largest electric furnace ever constructed for flat glass production. The facility will be powered by low-carbon electricity secured through long-term renewable energy power purchase agreements in Spain.
Once fully operational, the project is expected to deliver significant environmental benefits, including:
- Avoiding approximately 80 kilotonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions annually, representing a 50% reduction in direct emissions compared with a conventional gas furnace.
- Saving roughly 265 GWh of natural gas per year, marking an 80% decrease in gas consumption against standard production benchmarks.
- Producing low-carbon flat glass meeting top international standards for the residential, non-residential, and infrastructure construction markets.
