Enterprise Minister Peter Burke confirmed, “We’re working with the company, and that’s the key thing... We need to ensure that there is a pathway.”
Despite being disconnected from the energy trading platform, a spokesperson for Eirgrid clarified, “Aughinish Alumina have not been taken offline and remains connected to the transmission system. EirGrid can confirm that Aughinish Alumina have been suspended from the ex-ante market in line with a decision by ECC (European Commodity Clearing).” This distinction is crucial as the plant continues to draw power, but cannot participate in forward energy trading.
Global supply chain fractures: a legacy of Rio Tinto’s exit
One of the more significant challenges for Aughinish is sourcing raw materials. In March 2022, Rio Tinto stopped supplying bauxite to the Limerick-based refinery. Disruption to the flow of trade, normally on a barter-like arrangement via Guinea and Brazil, as then in the trade loop, caused a break: bauxite for alumina. The partnership had seen geopolitical tensions develop from a very great increase in global bauxite production for 3 years, and it was ultimately these tensions that ended the partnership. The outcomes are a concern over raw material security and long-term viability.
