Aughinish Alumina blames ‘clerical error’ for incorrect statistics on exports to Russia

Aughinish Alumina has attributed a significant discrepancy in its export figures to Russia to a "clerical error" in its input of EU statistics. The company's clarification follows reports that a large percentage of Ireland's alumina exports were destined for Russia during the first three months of 2026.

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Following this investigation Aughinish has informed Government departments that Aughinish made a clerical error in the input of our EU statistics.

Last week, figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) indicated that 83% of Ireland's alumina exports, totaling 200,619 tonnes, went to Russia in the first quarter of 2026, with only 0.6% going to the European Union. Government ministers later contested these figures, stating Aughinish had informed them that 45% of exports were directed to Russia.

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Aughinish has now corrected this error and understands these corrections will be reflected online by the relevant agencies shortly.

Following an internal investigation, Aughinish confirmed a clerical error in the input of EU statistics. The company stated that the tonnage for non-EU countries, including Russia, was unaffected. The corrected proportion of shipments to Russia for the first three months of 2026 is now reported as 51%, with the figure for 2025 being 45%. Aughinish expects the final figure for 2026 to align with 2025 levels.

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I have no information to suggest [that] at this point in time.

The company's clarification comes amid concerns that alumina exported from its Co Limerick plant could be entering the supply chain for Russian arms used in its war against Ukraine. Both Fine Gael MEPs and Sinn Féin have called for a swift and thorough investigation by the Department of Enterprise to establish the facts. An earlier investigation by The Irish Times, in cooperation with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, found that Aughinish's plant was shipping large amounts of alumina to Russian smelters, where it is used to produce aluminum for dozens of Russian arms manufacturers. Aughinish has consistently maintained its compliance with all applicable EU laws, including sanctions and export control measures.

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my department was carrying out an “investigation” into Aughinish Alumina, the findings of which would be shared with the European Commission.