Ciner Glass invests €504 million into container glass facility

Ciner Glass has signed a €504 million financing agreement to develop its state-of-the-art container glass production facility in Lommel, which is set to reach a daily capacity of 1,300 tonnes once fully operational.

Expected to create approximately 500 direct jobs, the new facility will contain two high-capacity furnaces, set to offer a daily production capacity of 650 tonnes for eight production lines in total. It is hoped to contribute to the local economy and Europe’s container glass supply chain.

It also aims to align with Ciner Glass’ efforts to produce lighter, high-quality container glass with minimal energy consumption, thus reducing its environmental footprint.

The plant is expected to open in Q2 2026. During a visit to the Lommel site in July, Ciner Glass partners Bottero, Lahti Glass Technology, TecoGlas, E2Pack, and Tiama finalized payment terms for the second furnace, which is scheduled to become operational in 2027 and bring the plant to full capacity.

Ciner Glass says its investment ‘marks one of the largest foreign direct investments in Belgium in the past decade’. The financing package constitutes €252 million in ECA-backed facilities, supported by SACE, UK Export Finance, and SERV; and another €252 million in commercial facilities, with a portion guaranteed by Gigarant NV.

The commercial lending consortium features financing partners such as agent and coordinator BNP Paribas S.A. and BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV, MUFG Bank, KBC Bank NV, Belfius Bank NV, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A., DHB Bank NV, Banco BPM S.P.A., and ENBD Denizbank.

“This investment is a significant milestone for Ciner Glass and a testament to our long-term vision for sustainable industrial growth in Europe,” says Gökhan Şen, CEO of Ciner Glass. “We are proud to bring one of the most advanced container glass production facilities to Belgium, creating hundreds of jobs and delivering high-quality, environmentally responsible products to our customers.

“I would like to extend our sincere thanks to our financial partners — including our ECA supporters and commercial lenders— and also to the Flemish Government for their trust and collaboration in making this project a reality. Their support is instrumental in helping us build a greener, more resilient future for the glass industry.”

Other investments this year include Veolia financing a tray-to-tray PET recycling facility with £70 million (€81,227,650), intending to process 80,000 tonnes of mixed plastics annually.

In another glass-related development, Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe previously implemented a hydrogen electrolyzer into its Limmared facility in hopes of melting glass with green hydrogen. Between October and December 2024, it claimed to have saved 70 tonnes of CO2.