Environmental group seeks to overturn permission for Limerick alumina plant expansion

Futureproof Clare says the plant has grown from producing 800,000 tonnes of alumina per year to 1.95 million tonnes annually

Kremlin-linked Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska is a key shareholder in the Aughinish Alumina plant near Askeaton, Co. Limerick. File picture

An environmental group has issued High Court proceedings seeking to overturn planning permission granted to a Russian-controlled alumina business for increased disposal capacity at its Co. Limerick refinery.

Futureproof Clare wants to legally challenge An Bord Pleanála’s consent for the deposition of an additional 8 million cubic metres of bauxite residue and 22,500 cubic metres of “salt cake”, which is a mixture of aluminum oxides, aluminum nitrides, metal and salts, at a 222-hectare site on Aughinish Island.