The start of a large construction project was the decree of the Head of State "On the implementation of an investment project" signed in October 2020, which provides for the design and construction of a completely new glass plant for the production of glass containers at site No. 4 of the Grodnoinvest FEZ in Auls in just two years. The innovative production is designed for the release of a bottle of any color, and the transition from one color to another can be done within just two to three days.
The Grodno glaziers face a serious task: it is necessary to saturate the domestic market with high-quality products that meet modern requirements. Advance payments have already been made for the supply of imported equipment, which has no analogues in the country. The future plant is a modern production using innovative energy-efficient and resource-saving technologies. The heart of the production will be a furnace with a capacity of 220 tons of glass per day. It will supply molten glass to three lines: two 8-section and one 10-section.
The operating mode is three-drop, which is also a novelty for the glass industry of the Republic of Belarus. According to Denis Yurchenko, General Director of the Grodno Glass Factory, it is planned to produce more than 200 million pieces of finished products a year. Depending on the demand, the new plant will be able to produce glass of absolutely any color. There is one private factory in the country ("Belstekloprom" in Gomel) produces brown glass for a beer bottle, the Grodno enterprise together with a branch in Yelizovo - colorless, green and olive. It is important to understand that at the moment, both private and state-owned factories together cannot meet the needs of the domestic market, let alone miss out on export opportunities. The project cost is USD 56 million.
To reduce the impact of production on the environment, the glass furnace will be equipped with an electrostatic precipitator and an automated control system for the operation of cleaning mechanisms, the quantitative and qualitative composition of emissions into the atmosphere. The country plans to gradually move away from plastic containers. However, today the capacities of Belarusian glass factories are not enough to provide even the domestic market in full. New production in Grodno will fill this deficit. Not only new capacities, but also the modernization of old production will help to increase the production of glass containers and compensate for this transition.
Today, the Grodno Glass Factory operates three furnaces, which together are capable of producing 140 tons of glass. Retrofitting of existing lines is ongoing and is aimed at improving quality, reducing costs, as well as switching to new types of products. For example, the production of rolled glass has recently been restored. The production of lightweight glass containers has been mastered in Yelizovo. As a result, the weight of the bottle is one third lighter than the usual one, while it retains all the quality indicators. The enterprise has also installed modern inspection equipment, which eliminates the human factor.
Since last year, the introduction of a deposit-pledge system for collecting containers has been actively discussed. This means that in the future, glass factories in Belarus will be provided with recyclable materials as much as possible. It is estimated that over 80% of the bottles used will be recycled thanks to this system. Another important point is the delivery of glass containers by the population. They also rely on separate waste collection.
