Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Italy: Saint-Gobain has entered into a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Switzerland-based utilities provider Axpo Holding. Under the agreement, Axpo Holding will supply 22GWh/yr of renewable electricity from a newly built wind farm in Puglia. The deal will fulfil 11% of Saint-Gobain's Italian energy needs across 10 sites.

The latest PPA with Axpo Italia is Saint-Gobain's fifth in Italy. Collectively, these will bring the group’s reliance on renewables in its Italian operations to 20%.

North America: Saint-Gobain has signed a 100MW solar power purchase agreement (PPA), called Danish Fields, with TotalEnergies. The Danish Fields PPA will supply Saint-Gobain North America with solar energy for 15 years, commencing in 2024. Saint-Gobain says that it expects the PPA to eliminate 90,000t/yr of CO₂ emissions across its operations. This is the group’s third deal of its kind.

Saint-Gobain North America CEO Mark Rayfield said “With this agreement, Saint-Gobain North America will further reduce its CO₂ emissions, demonstrating how fast the manufacturing industry can transform when long term solutions are at hand. This renewable energy project is a new milestone on the way to meeting Saint-Gobain’s commitment to reduce Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions by 33% by 2030 compared to 2017, and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.”

US: Owens Corning has published its 2022 Sustainability Report, detailing its progress towards its 2030 sustainability goals during 2022. During the year, the insulation producer reduced its CO₂ emissions by 22% compared with 2018 levels, against a 2030 reduction target of 50%. It sourced 56% of its electricity renewably. It achieved this with the help of multiple power purchase agreements (PPA), including for on-site generation. It concluded a new 81.9MW virtual PPA in Spain, which will come online in stages throughout the rest of 2023 and 2024.

Senior vice president and chief sustainability officer David Rabuano said "In 2023 and beyond, sustainability will remain at the heart of our business and a critical value creator for Owens Corning, our customers and other stakeholders. As we shift into the next chapter of our sustainability strategy, we will build on the foundational efforts that have been central to sustainability within our organisation - and with the engagement of our 19,000 employees worldwide, we will take the action needed to reach the next level."

US: Owens Corning has completed the construction of a 2.7MW solar power plant for its thermal and acoustical insulation facility in Delmar, New York. Constellation Energy, part of Exelon Corp, funded, constructed and will operate the solar facility. The project was developed under the NY-Sun initiative, which is being administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Owens Corning will buy the power generated by the plant under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Constellation. The facility consists of 9000 ground-mounted panels and is expected to produce about 3.3BWh/yr of power, offsetting about 2339t of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. It will cover over 6% of the electricity requirements of Owens Corning's insulation facility.