Three GMIC Members Receive DOE Grants
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) announced up to $6 billion in funding to decarbonize energy-intensive industries. Proposals from GMIC members Gallo Glass, Libbey Glass, and O-I Glass were among 33 projects selected for award negotiation. Multiple industries were represented in the announcement, including chemicals and refining, concrete, iron and steel, and aluminum and metals. The funding represents the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in U.S. history.
The DOE announcement detailed the three glass projects:
Gallo Glass, Hybrid Electric Glass Furnace Project: 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. Gallo will leverage renewable energy provided by the local utility and anticipates selling low-carbon glass bottles as a premium option, contributing to the decarbonization of a large portion of glass for California’s wine and spirits industry.
Libbey Glass, Flexible Fuel Electric Hybrid Glass Furnace Demonstration Project: to replace four regenerative furnaces with two larger hybrid electric furnaces to reduce an estimated 60% of carbon dioxide emissions at Libbey’s facility in Toledo, Ohio. The hybrid furnaces combine the benefits of oxygen fuel with electric melting, replacing up to 80% of the melting energy with renewable-sourced electricity. Because glass tableware have some of the highest glass product standards, this project will demonstrate the viability of electrification and alternative fuel use for the entire glass industry.
O-I Glass, Glass Furnace Decarbonization Technology Project: to rebuild four furnaces across three of its facilities in California, Ohio, and Virginia to reduce scope one carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 48,000 metric tons per year, an average of 40% reduction of scope one emissions across the four furnaces and their corresponding production lines. O-I plans to combine five cutting-edge furnace technologies on each furnace, demonstrating the functionality of combining multiple technologies across different glass colors and container types.
Funding for the program is provided primarily through the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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