GlassKote FGI has confirmed funding of more than AUD 1.2 billion ($781 million) to build two low-iron float glass plants in Australia and the UAE.

The first will be in Queensland, Australia with construction starting in early 2026, with the second in the United Arab Emirates a few months later.

The company said the plants will not only restore sovereign glass production, but will also set global benchmarks for sustainability, and AI-driven performance in the built environment, renewable energy, defence, and consumer technology sectors.

The Queensland project will make glass for architectural, solar, and speciality applications.

A 400 tonnes per day Waste-to-Energy facility using Cyrion technology to generate green hydrogen and renewable electricity will be built alongside it.

The glass facility will include silicon nanotube integration and DNA AI ‘Living Glass’ technology.

It will also include integrated solar glass manufacturing for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and smart glazing as well as coating and value-add lines for laminated, toughened, ballistic, Low-E, and solar-control glass.

The company said the facility will close Australia’s glass supply gap, generate its own renewable energy, and export surplus power — making it one of the most sustainable glass plants built.

It said it also has plans to commence construction of a second 700tpd float facility in Queensland the following year.

Its second project is for a 1,000 tonnes per day facility in the UAE for float glass for the architectural, renewable energy, and specialty markets.

This will be launched in the middle of next year and include much of the technology as used in the Queensland facility.

Aleksandar Vasiljevic OAM, Founder & Executive Chairman, GlassKote, said: “We are building the most advanced glass plants in the world — and we’re doing it twice, on two continents.

"These facilities will not only deliver the clearest, strongest, smartest glass ever made; they will drive a new era of sustainable manufacturing, AI-driven materials science, and energy-positive industry.”

Collaborative partners in the project are Cyrion technologies, SDH Australia, Sustainable Markets Fund, DNA AI, Data ESG and Enhance Business Solutions (NZ).