Aluminium producers call for tougher sanctions against Russia

Unclear whether the call would have implications for the Aughinish Alumina smelter in the Shannon Estuary

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

The EU should go beyond banning aluminium wire, foil, tubes and pipes produced in Russia by sanctioning Russian aluminium metal for a greater impact, industry group European Aluminium has said.

European Union members are looking at a proposed 12th package of sanctions, including bans on aluminium wire, tubes and pipes, a small proportion of Russian aluminium imports.

"We regret the fact that the vast majority of Russian aluminium exports to the EU (more than 85% of the total), in particular primary metal, look set to remain outside of the scope of the measures," European Aluminium said in a letter sent to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. 

In the first nine months of 2023, the EU imported almost 500,000 metric tons of Russian aluminium and aluminium products worth €1.2bn, Eurostat data shows. 

It is unclear whether the call for tougher sanctions would have implications for the Aughinish Alumina smelter in the Shannon Estuary, which employs up to 500 people. The smelter is owned by Russia's Rusal, which through its large number of mining and smelter international plants last year accounted for four million tons or 6% of global supplies.

In July, European Aluminium sent a letter to its members saying it had discussed the possibility of "actively calling for EU sanctions on Russian aluminium", but not on Rusal. 

"We would have no specific comment. It is for EU member states in the council to unanimously adopt sanctions," an EU spokesperson said in response to a request for comment. 

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the EU took a cautious approach due to the region's reliance on Russian supplies of aluminium, a key material for European industry. 

"However, 21 months later, circumstances have changed considerably. The European aluminium industry has accelerated its decoupling from Russia," the industry group said. 

• Reuters and Irish Examiner