The French manufacturer of luxury packaging is preparing the commissioning of its first electric furnace — scheduled for the end of 2024 — on the Pochet du Courval glassmaking site in Normandy. The group has secured its supply in green electricity through a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with ABO Wind. The agreement covers the supply — at a specific price — of solar electricity over 20 years from a 20-MWp [1] solar farm being built by ABO Wind AG in France. The photovoltaic park will be in operation by early 2025.
The contracted volumes will be used to cover part of the power needed for the new electric furnace for the manufacturing of luxury fragrance bottles and cosmetic jars.
“This long-term power purchase agreement will enable us to produce sustainably for Luxury Differently,” emphasizes Benoit Marszalek, Pochet du Courval’s Director of Operations.
Eager to source its supplies in France and as close as possible to its production, the Pochet Group said that similar projects will be announced in the coming months.
The new electric furnace at the Pochet du Courval glassworks in Guimerville, Normandy, will be partly powered by solar electricity (Photo: Groupe Pochet)
As part of its decarbonization plan, the Pochet Group announced in 2022 the construction of a new furnace using Prium E-Melt cold vault fusion technology. The group has stated an objective to reduce CO2 emissions of its production by 50% by 2033.
Decarbonization is one of the major challenges for the glass industry. Verescence also announced the construction of an electric furnace in 2025 in its Mers-les-Bains plant, in France. Other glassmakers, such as Bormioli Luigi or Heinz Glas, already have partially or fully electric solutions.
