Key facts
- Aughinish Alumina, owned by Russian aluminum producer Rusal, held private talks with Irish government officials.
- The refinery cited Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its links to sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska as creating a "challenging environment" for its operations.
- Shipments of alumina from the refinery to Russia have risen significantly since the full-scale invasion, now representing about half of the plant's business.
- An Irish government inquiry could not rule out the possibility that Aughinish's output entered Russia's military supply chain.
- Ukraine and Baltic countries have called on the EU to prohibit alumina exports to Russia.
- The European Commission is reportedly considering including alumina in its next sanctions package.
Aughinish Alumina, an Irish refinery with ties to sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, has held private discussions with senior Irish government officials regarding the operational challenges posed by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and international sanctions. According to government records obtained by the Irish Times, company executives expressed concerns about the "challenging environment" for their operations due to the refinery's links to Russia.
Minutes from a May 2023 meeting revealed that company executives thanked then-Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney and his department for their support during years of uncertainty, including the threat of U.S. sanctions and the economic repercussions of the war. The refinery, located in Foynes, County Limerick, is owned by Russian aluminum producer Rusal and employs several hundred people.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Aughinish Alumina's shipments of alumina to Russia have increased significantly, now accounting for approximately half of the plant's business. A previous investigation by the Irish Times traced alumina from the refinery to Russian smelters that produced aluminum sold to ASK, a Moscow-based trader reportedly supplying Russian arms manufacturers. While an Irish government inquiry found no definitive proof that Aughinish's output entered Russia's military supply chain, it could not exclude that possibility.
Oleg Deripaska, who is sanctioned by the EU, reduced his stake in Rusal's parent company EN+ below 50% after the U.S. imposed sanctions on him in 2018. At that time, the Irish government had lobbied Washington to shield the Limerick refinery from being blacklisted. Ukraine and several Baltic countries have urged the EU to prohibit alumina exports to Russia, and the European Commission is reportedly considering such a measure in its upcoming sanctions package. Aughinish manager Ciaran Kelleher reportedly informed Irish officials that the refinery supplied only about 10% of the alumina used by Rusal in Russia, with most of the aluminum produced there subsequently exported.