Concern for Aughinish workers as shareholder Deripaska faces sanctions 

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a major shareholder in the Aughinish Alumina plant in West Limerick, faces being added to the EU's next round of sanctions

The Aughinish Alumina plant on the Shannon Estuary employs 450 people.

The European Union is on Wednesday discussing the addition of Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who is a major shareholder in Aughinish Alumina plant in West Limerick, to its next round of sanctions.

Mr Deripaska owns shares in London-listed EN+, owner of Rusal, which in turn owns Aughinish Alumina, which has 450 employees and is one of the Mid-West’s biggest employers.

He has been under US sanctions since 2018 and his industrial conglomerate includes a major army and military equipment provider to Russia’s military.

The proposed list, which still needs to be approved by European governments and could change before that happens, also includes Putin’s daughters and some spouses and former spouses of already sanctioned Russians.

The listings are part of the EU’s fifth sanctions package, which EU ambassadors are debating on Wednesday. It includes a ban on Russian coal, and would ban most Russian trucks and ships from entering the EU. The sanctions are being coordinated with the US and UK.

Concerns about the future of the 450 jobs at Aughinish been raised previously.

Last month, when the possibility of sanctions against Russia was raised, the Government insisted it was “keen” to keep the Aughinish Alumina plant operating.

A statement from the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment at that point said both Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, as well as Government agencies, had been involved in discussions around the plant.

“There has been ongoing engagement between the Government, IDA Ireland, and the company, including a meeting with the Tánaiste and Minister Donohoe earlier this week,” the statement read.

“The company is a very important supplier of alumina to Europe and an important element of the global alumina supply chain. It is also a significant employer in Limerick. The Government is keen that the plant will continue to operate.

“The department and its agencies continue to assess the implications of recent developments and are closely monitoring the situation.”