At AGC’s float glass plant in Seingbouse (France), we have taken a significant step forward in our commitment to decarbonize glass manufacturing thanks to a joint project and partnership with energy company E.ON.
Renewable and low-carbon electricity
This project included the installation of a new Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) plant where residual heat is recovered to generate CO2-neutral electricity as well as the construction of a photovoltaic power plant on-site.
Waste Heat to Power
As an energy-intensive industry, we continuously face the challenge of improving energy efficiency and reducing our CO2 emissions. The heart of our glass production, the float glass furnace, operates at high temperatures. In the past, about 30% of the heat from the furnace was lost in flue gas. Now, thanks to this collaboration, we are turning that waste into a valuable resource.
In Seingbouse, an innovative Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) plant, with a capacity of 1.3 megawatts (MW), was installed in 2024 to capture the waste heat from the furnace. This technology converts previously unused heat into CO2-neutral electricity, directly powering our facility.
Harnessing Solar Energy
To further decarbonize, a photovoltaic power plant was installed across 27,000 m² of the factory’s premises, generating clean, renewable electricity from the sun. A first PV plant of 2.7 MWc was installed in 2024, followed by the installation of a second PV plant of 5,1 MWc which has been operational since the beginning of 2026.
Together, these systems provide our Seingbouse facility with approximately 15 gigawatt hours (GWh) of decarbonized electricity annually —a significant portion of the site's needs. This prevents around 900 tons of CO2 emissions each year.
A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to reduce dependency from volatile energy markets
The project is structured as a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), where E.ON financed, built, and operates the facilities, selling the power back to AGC at a fixed price. This innovative model provides energy security, shields AGC from volatile market prices, and required no initial investment from AGC. The project is also supported by the French government as part of the "France Relance" plan*, operated by ADEME.
This initiative builds on a successful partnership with E.ON that began in 2019 and which included various joint energy efficiency projects across Europe, such as the project in Hungary and on multiple sites in the Czech Republic.
The Seingbouse project is an important sustainability action and part of our Decarbonisation Roadmap. Discover AGC's carbon reduction roadmap . Or read more on all the renewable and low-carbon electricity actions at AGC
(*) The ORC project is funded with a grant as part of the French economic stimulus program “France Relance”. The program “France Relance”, operated by ADEME, helps to enable the decarbonization of the French industry.
