‘Serious concerns’ over plant’s bauxite deposits

The former mayor of Limerick has said he has “serious concerns” for the future after learning the Aughinish Alumina plant plans to extend the height of bauxite residue deposits to 100ft on lands adjacent to the Shannon Estuary.

According to Cllr Jim Long, Fine Gael, the Russian-owned company, under terms agreed in its last licence renewal, is to raise its bauxite deposits from 20 metres to 30 metres, to a height of 98.425 feet.

Aughinish, which extracts millions of tonnes of alumina, leaves huge amounts of distinctive red-coloured bauxite residue, which is stored as red mud on 450 acres of land at Askeaton, Co Limerick.