“NO ADVERSE FINDINGS have been determined” in a review of alleged breaches of sanctions by Aughinish Alumina in Co Limerick, the minister for enterprise has said.

Peter Burke, whose department is responsible for enforcing such sanctions, said the independent review looked at news reports about a potential leakage of alumina from the Russian-owned plant into military supply chains.

The Irish Times articles included a statement that the investigating journalists “could not track the final destination of a specific batch of Aughinish’s alumina”. 

Burke said the review sought information from other bodies “within and external to the State” and engaged with the company itself, but found “no evidence corroborating the media assertions”.

“There is a lack of verifiable internal trade data within Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” the minister said in a statement today.

“No information of a sufficient evidentiary level is currently available to confirm the assertions that alumina from Ireland is entering the supply chain of Russian military contractors.”

Burke said the company provided the department with data stating that no alumina produced in Limerick is used for military purposes, and is solely used in the production of aluminium for export from Russia.

“However, that’s coming from a Russian entity,” he told RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland.

The data cannot be independently verified by the Department.

Burke said the government may consider enlisting the help of an independent company with global supply chains that could “ascertain the validity” of the plant’s claims.

“Suspicion is not evidence, and when you’re dealing with sanctions, you need a legal basis,” he said.

The findings of the review have not been published.

Burke said this was because data shared by other European countries was confidential, and information given by Aughinish Alumina “is sensitive to their commercial activity”.

There were “security concerns” raised by the Attorney General too, he said.

Burke said in his earlier statement that the government “stands in lockstep with Ukraine” as it defends its country from “the illegal war of aggression”.

The Taoiseach visited Kyiv on Thursday, where he met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

During his latest visit to Ireland, the Ukrainian president said he was “really interested in the results of this investigation”.

Micheál Martin said yesterday that the investigation was “almost complete” and the results would be shared with the European Commission.

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“The investigation has not found concrete or definitive evidence linking the alumina to a weapons manufacturer in Russia,” he said at a joint press conference at the Mariinskyi Palace.

“That said, neither has it found definitive evidence that alumina may not be going to weapons manufacturers, so it’s difficult.”

Reaction

In a statement, Aughinish Alumina Limited said it “took the allegations made in media reports with the utmost seriousness” and cooperated fully with the government review. 

“In seeking to find ways to provide additional transparency to the satisfaction of all parties, Aughinish and its parent company UC Rusal, have developed a framework to provide further enhanced traceability of Aughinish’s alumina,” it said.

The framework, it said, involves “independent, third-party verification by a competent global company” who will monitor the alumina flows from Aughinish and subsequent export out of Russia of the aluminium produced from Aughinish’s alumina in Russian smelters.

“This will provide enhanced, third party, verifiable evidence to the Government and the EU Commission that the alumina from Aughinish which enters Russia, and the subsequent aluminium produced from this alumina, has no connection whatsoever to the Russian military supply chain.”

Limerick mayor John Moran said the government must now “clearly communicate its support for the plant at EU level”. 

He called for a forum to bring together workers, trade unions, management and local representatives “to plan for Aughinish’s future” and said a monitoring process could reassure EU partners that Irish alumina exports “are not contributing to Russia’s war machine, without penalising or sanctioning the plant”.

“Ireland should pursue this option with the Commission and make the strongest possible case for Aughinish.”