Aughinish-owner Rusal buys into Chinese alumina firm to plug sanction-hit supplies   

The Aughinish Alumina Refinery on the Shannon Estuary near Foynes, Co Limerick.

Russian aluminum giant Rusal International — which owns the smelter in the Shannon Estuary — has agreed to buy a 30% stake in a Chinese alumina plant to plug a gap in supplies of the key ingredient amid disruptions triggered by the invasion of Ukraine.

The deal with Hebei Wenfeng New Materials marks a rare, direct investment by a Russian firm in China’s metals sector, and the first significant foreign acquisition by a major Russian company since the war began.