PEOPLE living near Russian-owned Aughinish Alumina in west County Limerick defended the plant and its decades-long investment in the local area, despite alleged links between the alumina exported from the plant and Russian weapons manufacturers.
Those who spoke on the record included those who have and still publicly represent some of the staff at Aughinish Alumina, which provides employment to 1,000 persons, 500 of whom are based at the facility in the Shannon Estuary.
“It’s a case of do you eat the egg or do you choke the chicken?” – that was the view of local former special branch detective and retired Fianna Fáil councillor Kevin Sheahan.
Mr Sheahan remains an outspoken activist in his native Askeaton, a town located a short distance from the plains of red bauxite mud – a by-product of the alumina extraction process – that surround the vast Aughinish plant.
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The Irish Times, in a joint investigation with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, claimed it had found links between alumina exported from Aughinish and Russian smelting plants supplying a Moscow-based trading company that, in turn, supplies Russia’s military machine.
“We can’t stop these things. If (Aughinish) weren’t shipping the alumina, the plant wouldn’t be functioning, and the employment wouldn’t be here, and it wouldn’t be beneficial to anybody,” offered Sheahan.
He spoke fondly of Ukrainian families who fled Russia’s military invasion and for whom he helped secure accommodation in west Limerick.
Asked how he balanced his concerns for local Ukranian families with the alleged links between Aughinish and the Russia military supply chain, Sheahan replied “it’s a fair question” but argued that the source of the alumina was irrelevant.
“If the plant in Askeaton couldn’t export it any more, it would be exported [from] someplace else,” he said.
“The people in Askeaton or Ireland didn’t declare war on anybody, and you wouldn’t find anybody here wishing the war to go any place other than to finish.
“We are concerned that the war is continuing and there are people dying.”
He described the alleged links between Aughinish and Russia’s military supply chain as “disappointing”.
Sheahan agreed with more who did not wish to speak publicly, and who state that it was “not a red-hot issue” locally.
Publican Adam Teskey, who represents the area as an elected Fine Gael councillor, said that although he did not support Russia’s war in Ukraine, he did support the continued exportation of alumina from the Rusal plant.
“The majority of people I represent are employed by Aughinish. It’s a very valued employer and a local taxpayer that contributes enormous amounts of money to the area which I represent,” said Cllr Teskey.
‘They are not making bullets in Aughinish’
Cllr Teskey and more in the Shannon estuary industry zone were quick to point out that another large local employer – Wyeth Nutritionals Ireland in Askeaton, an infant formula manufacturer owned by Nestlé – closed its doors on March 30 with the loss of 542 jobs.
“Wyeth’s closure has an added emphasis on the jobs at Aughinish,” remarked Cllr Teskey.
“Aughinish has put bread and butter on a lot of people’s plates and its staff have been able to raise families, pay for education and mortgages, and contribute back to our local exchequer,” he said.
“I think it would be very unfair that there would be any castigation or aspersions made or said that these people are having anything to do with the contribution to a war effort so far away from west Limerick.”
“They are not making bullets in Aughinish and that has to be reasserted – and it has to be made crystal clear – that none of the people that I represent are in any way aiding or abetting in a war effort over in Ukraine,” said Cllr Teskey.
“The war is going on far too long and there needs to be a stop put to it, but we have to get real; we cannot govern where our exported product is going to end up.”
Local Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State at the Justice Department, Niall Collins, said it was “important to emphasise that Aughinish Alumina is not the subject of EU sanctions, nor has it been proposed to be”.
Minister Collins said: “Alumina is not a sanctioned good, therefore its export to other countries, including Russia, is not restricted.”
He offered that the Government has “consistently supported strong sanctions in response to Russia’s illegal aggression, particularly in the context of shifting global supply chains and procurement networks”.
“We will continue to work closely with our EU partners in doing so.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Aughinish Alumina refuted the claims in the Irish Times joint investigation and said its product was not classified by the EU as a dual-use product, one that has both civilian and military applications and is typically subject to export controls.
Aughinish told this newspaper: “We particularly underline the fact that both alumina and aluminium are an internationally recognised basic commodity, the very nature of which means they serve broad general purpose societal needs and vital for countless civilian industries.”
“We believe that any attempt to state the contrary is flawed and seeks to create a biased narrative. Especially singling out one company for criticism in this manner discredits legitimate and vital business operations supporting thousands of workers, contractors and families, bringing economic value,” it added.
“We operate in strict compliance with all applicable European Union laws, including sanctions, export control measures and trade regulations. We uphold a strong commitment to lawful and responsible business practices and continuously monitor regulatory developments to ensure the highest standards of compliance.
“The company implemented a robust sanctions compliance and due diligence framework covering its entire supply chain. We reserve the right to take legal action if the intended publication contains inaccurate information or presents the information in a biased manner.”