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WHAT WE DO / OUR
OPERATIONS / ALUMINA
DIVISION / AUGHINISH
ALUMINA
AUGHINISH ALUMINA
 Aughinish Alumina is
the largest alumina refinery in Europe and the largest of the alumina
facilities operated by UC RUSAL.
The plant was built between 1978 and 1983 and had an initial rated capacity of
800,000 tonnes a year. It represented an investment of USD 1 billion in the
Irish economy. The refinery started processing imported bauxites into alumina
in September 1983. The average annual contribution of Aughinish Alumina to the
local economy exceeds EUR 100 million.
The current annual capacity of the refinery is in excess of 1.8 million tonnes
of alumina. Aughinish has always been to the forefront in terms of technology
in the industry. Year after year it implements the most modern technologies
available to ensure it remains one of the top alumina producers in the world.
| Geography |
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RUSAL Aughinish is situated on the 1000
acre Aughinish Island, on the south side of the Shannon Estuary near Foynes, 20
miles downstream from Limerick City in the Republic of Ireland. Ireland is the
most westerly country of the European Union, separated from Great Britain by
the Irish Sea on the east. Ireland is an island of 84,288 sq. km (32,544 square
miles) with a population of 5 million. Regarding the administrative divisions,
the Republic of Ireland consists of 27 counties and has it’s capital Dublin on
the east coast. The official languages are Irish (Gaeilge, one of the Gaelic
languages) and English. Euro is the country’s monetary unit.
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Technology
The plant currently has the capacity to produce over 1.8 million tonnes of
alumina (Al2O3) per annum, extracting alumina from bauxites by the Bayer
process. 70 % of the bauxite arriving to the plant originates in the Republic
of Guinea (West Africa), the rest coming from Brazil. The plant’s terminal also
provides facilities for exporting the alumina to smelters in Europe and
Scandinavia. Gradually the bulk of the material will be forwarded to aluminum
plants within the RUSAL organization both in Russia and in other regions.
The Bayer process is an energy-intensive technology and consumes large amounts
of fuel oil and energy. To satisfy the refinery’s demand for energy, a 150
megawatt Combined Heat & Power Plant (CHP Plant) was built on the site of
Aughinish Alumina. Currently, the CHP Plant generates steam and energy for the
refinery and supplies surplus energy to the local grid. RUSAL Aughinish is one
of the most energy efficient alumina refineries in the world.
To learn more about aluminium production please visit
http://www.aluminiumleader.com/en/
Certificates
The RUSAL Aughinish operation is accredited to Advanced Level 8 in the
International Safety Rating System (ISRS) and holds an INAB quality
accreditation for its laboratory. The company obtained ISO 9002 quality
accreditation in August 1995 and ISO 14001 environmental accreditation in
August 2000 and was awarded 'Excellence Through People' accreditation by FAS,
Ireland's National Training and Employment Authority, in 1997 (it is currently
certified to Platinum Level). In October 2003, the refinery was certified under
ISO 9001:2000.
In line with its commitment to the idea of energy efficiency, RUSAL Aughinish
became the first Company in Ireland to introduce a structured Energy Management
System based on the Danish Standard DS 2403. The demonstrated success of this
approach at Aughinish led, in part, to the National Standards Authority of
Ireland (NSAI) introducing a new Irish Standard on Energy Management in 2005.
Environment
Aughinish Refinery used state-of-the-art technologies when designing its
programme for environmental protection and monitoring. The plant has received
an Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control license (IPPCL) from Ireland's
Environment Protection Agency to cover all environmental operating conditions
and emissions. In August 2000, the refinery’s environmental management system
was certified under ISO 14001 and since then comprehensive environmental audits
are carried out every six months.
Aughinish has established a nature trail network on the island incorporating
bird hides and observation areas, along with butterfly and dragonfly
sanctuaries. The company has planted tens of thousands of trees around the
island and has established a Bird Sanctuary. More than 100 species of birds
have been identified and the sanctuary is regularly visited by Birdwatch
Ireland.
Management
Managing Director – Damien Clancy
Contact Information
Aughinish Island
Askeaton
Co. Limerick
Ireland
Tel. 353-61-604000
Email: margaret.mccarthy@augh.com
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