Verallia France will power Furnace 3 at its Cognac site with syngas produced from biomass.

This will reduce the plant’s CO2 emissions by 6,000 tonnes per year. 

The initiative is part of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Charwood Energy, a biomass energy specialist. 

The PPA covers the construction and operation of a syngas production plant, which will be owned by Charwood Energy.

The syngas plant will be constructed at Verallia’s Cognac site, and is scheduled to start in the first half of 2025. 

Its commissioning is anticipated for the first quarter of 2027.

Pierre-Henri Desportes, President of Verallia France, said: “I am proud that the Cognac site is positioning itself as a pioneer in reducing the environmental footprint of the glass industry in France. 

“The glassworks will be the only site in France operating with two innovative decarbonisation technologies: the largest 100% electric furnace in the world for food glass, and renewable energy from biomass that will replace 20% of the fossil energy of Furnace 3. 

“These projects illustrate our desire to decarbonise our activity to make glass the most sustainable packaging material in the world.”

With a production of 30 GWh/year, the syngas plant will require 8,000 tonnes of biomass produced within a radius of 100 km around the Verallia site.

The syngas will be generated by pyro-gasification of biomass. 

The project will create five direct jobs on the Cognac site for the operation and maintenance of the facilities, as well as eight jobs linked to the supply of biomass. 

The investment is supported by Charwood Energy and the Eiffel Gaz Vert fund through their joint subsidiary W&nergy. 

It also received grants from ADEME, the French Agency for Ecological Transition, and the Nouvelle Aquitaine region.