Verallia is set to transform waste heat from its glass production furnaces into low-carbon energy at its Lagnieu site in Ain, France, following a new circular-economy partnership with Dalkia, a subsidiary of EDF Group.

Under a six-year contract starting in October 2026, Dalkia will design, install and operate a waste heat recovery system directly connected to the chimneys of the site’s two glass furnaces. The solution centres on a 2.3 MW heat exchanger and vaporiser capable of capturing high-temperature flue gases ranging from 200°C to 380°C and converting them into decarbonised steam at 8 bar.

The recovered energy will be used locally to meet the site’s heating requirements, significantly reducing natural gas consumption. As a result, the project is expected to cut Verallia’s Scope 1 CO₂ emissions by nearly 1,300 tonnes per year at the Lagnieu facility.

Located in Lagnieu, the plant is considered Verallia France’s centre of excellence for food container manufacturing, with a production capacity of around 4.5 million glass containers per day. The project strengthens the site’s role as a benchmark for low-carbon glass manufacturing within the group.

Waste heat recovery is already an established technology across Verallia’s European operations. In Burgos, Spain, the group supplies recovered steam to the nearby Mahou San Miguel brewery, while in Neuburg, Germany, furnace fumes fuel a boiler that provides heat for municipal public buildings. The Lagnieu project builds on this experience, adapting the technology to local energy needs.

Construction work is scheduled to begin in April 2026, with operational commissioning planned for October 2026. The €1.6 million investment, led by Dalkia, is eligible for support from the ADEME Heat Fund, underlining the project’s significant environmental benefits for the region.