Aughinish Alumina: Where the Shannon meets Siberia
This is a NAFO campaign #Alumina21
Our mission is simple: That the EU add the export of Alumina to the 21st Sanction package
Why the Irish Alumina Trade With Russia Must End
The ongoing alumina trade between Ireland’s Aughinish Alumina plant and Russia continues to supply a strategic material that multiple reports and campaigners argue plays a direct role in sustaining Russia’s industrial and military capacity. Despite sweeping EU sanctions, this trade route remains open, creating a loophole that undermines wider European efforts to limit Russia’s ability to wage war. As highlighted by campaign groups behind this initiative, the issue is not abstract — alumina is a critical precursor for aluminium, which in turn is used across aerospace, transport, electronics, and defence manufacturing. Allowing this supply chain to continue effectively enables Russia to maintain production levels that many believe should be restricted during an active conflict.
Ireland now sits at the centre of a contradiction: while the EU seeks to pressure Russia economically, one of Europe’s largest alumina refineries continues to ship a material that Russia depends on. This campaign argues that closing this loophole is both a moral and strategic necessity. Ending the trade would align Ireland with the broader European sanctions framework, remove a key resource from Russia’s industrial pipeline, and demonstrate that no member state is willing to allow exceptions that weaken collective action.
Australia banned the export of Alumina to Russia in March 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine setting in place a global precedent in respect of alumina sanctions on Russia.
This website exists to give people the information they need to understand the issue and to take meaningful steps — including contacting Members of the European Parliament — to help bring this trade to an end.
Aughinish Alumina in Ireland exports most of its alumina to Russian smelters, whose aluminum is sold to traders supplying dozens of EU‑sanctioned Russian weapons manufacturers, legally enabling materials used in missiles and other arms targeting Ukraine.
A global aluminium shortage is coming.
Iranian strikes on EGA’s Al Taweelah smelter in Abu Dhabi and Alba’s facility in Bahrain in late March didn’t just knock out production lines. At Al Taweelah, the strikes cut power to the facility entirely, forcing the potlines into an uncontrolled shutdown.
Metal solidified inside the smelting circuits. That’s months of structural damage.
The two plants together produced around 3.2 million tonnes of cast metal in 2025. The disruption has now cascaded beyond aluminum: Bahrain’s Foulath Holding, parent of Bahrain Steel, declared force majeure the same day.
Together with curtailments at Qatar’s Qatalum, the combined production loss could reach around 3 million tonnes by the time the dust settles.
Mercuria puts the global deficit at 2 million metric tons by year-end. Others think that’s optimistic.
LME aluminum hit a four-year high on April 16. Traders warn prices could push past the 2022 record of $4,073 per tonne if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t resume soon.
After the US and UK banned Russian aluminum from major exchanges in April 2024, Gulf exports to Western markets surged to fill the gap. Now that gap has a gap.
Europe isn’t insulated either. One industry executive described the prospect of cascading Gulf smelter closures as “an unbelievable threat” for European manufacturers.
The world is facing a major Alumina shortage which will have profound impacts on the global economy.
Important: Owing to the unprecedented global demand for Alumina, the opportunities for Aughinish Alumina to diversify their customer base in Europe and beyond is endless. There are fears amongst local workers that their jobs depend on this trade. If the EU bans the export of Alumina, and the plant shuts, it won’t be because of commercial necessity but a strategic decision of the Russian government to prevent Alumina falling into the hands of the West. Indeed, Ireland could step in and nationalise the plant till war’s end to maintain control and jobs and importantly, redirect the Alumina.
Yet, Ireland is still exporting up to 70% of its alumina production to Russia which uses it for its war effort.
Read More About Aughinish Alumina
From the Shannon to Siberia: How alumina from a Limerick refinery enters Russia’s weapons supply chain
The Irish Times
Alumina produced at the Aughinish refinery in Limerick is being shipped to Russia, smelted into aluminium, and ultimately entering the supply chains of companies manufacturing weapons used in the war on Ukraine
The Foundational Metal of War: Aluminum, the Middle East War, and America’s Strategic Vulnerability
The Modern War Institute
And yet aluminum is largely overlooked as a critical defense mineral, even though militaries are utterly dependent on a steady supply of it. It is a foundational material for aircraft, armored vehicles, naval systems, and munitions components. More broadly, it underpins the electrical infrastructure and industrial base that makes them all possible.
Senator Tom Clonan Raises the Issue in Parliament
Ireland’s alumina exports are quietly feeding Russia’s weapons industry — and Senator Tom Clonan is sounding the alarm. In this powerful video, he breaks down how alumina produced in Ireland continues to be exported to Russia, where it’s refined into aluminium and sold on to companies supplying sanctioned arms manufacturers. That aluminium is then used in the construction of drones, missiles, and other military hardware deployed in the war on Ukraine.
Senator Clonan highlights the uncomfortable truth: while Ireland publicly condemns Russia’s aggression, Irish‑origin material is still helping to build the very weapons used in the conflict. He calls for immediate government action, tighter oversight, and a serious examination of how these exports are allowed to continue under existing EU rules.
This is a moment of accountability. Clonan’s message is clear — Ireland cannot stand for peace while inadvertently supporting the machinery of war.
Where We Are Now
The EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan has confirmed the EU is considering a ban however is awaiting a report from the Irish government. On 25 March, the Irish head of Government, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, instructed his Enterprise Minister Peter Burke to examine the matter.
To date, the results of that examination, if it has taken place, have not been made public.
The Belgian government also supports a ban on alumina export.
The Enviromental Impact
A powerful investigative documentary exposing the hidden realities surrounding the Aughinish Alumina plant on the Shannon Estuary.
Blending on‑the‑ground reporting with historical and political context, it reveals how environmental risk, corporate influence, and regulatory failure have combined to create a long‑running crisis disguised as progress.
The film traces the global forces behind the operation, the local communities affected, and the systemic decisions that allowed the situation to escalate. It offers a compelling, accessible look at one of Ireland’s most controversial industrial sites and the wider system that sustains it.
Petition your MEP to stop this trade NOW
Advanced MEP Search
Our MEP Finder makes it easy to locate Members of the European Parliament using a range of search options, from country and constituency to political group or name. Once you choose your criteria, it takes you directly to the official European Parliament website and displays all matching MEPs instantly. Each result includes a profile you can open, and beneath the MEP’s photo you’ll find a clear option to email them, helping you contact the right representative quickly and confidently.