A £54m glass research and development centre in Merseyside is under way as central Government and local council funding are backing it. The major aim of the industry research project will be to eliminate CO2 from the production process.
The scheme to go ahead in St Helens with a glass furnace research and development centre will involve building a 158,000 sq ft. It will be capable of producing 30 tonnes of sustainable glass a day. The research factory will be built on a 14-acre site.
The factory site is adjacent to St Helens’ Rugby League ‘Totally Wicked’ stadium. Government said it would support the ground-breaking project with £15m funding. Approximately £20m funding will be provided by the companies associated with the glass sector.
Funding of £9m is pledged from the Liverpool City Region and a similar sum from St Helens Council. The facility will attract inward investment to the north-west of England as leading players across the glass supply chain and academia begin to use the facility for R&D.
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