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11 Apr 2025
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11 Apr 2025
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Rusal employs hundreds of people on a massive landbank at Aughinish
THE ENVIRONMENTAL watchdog has ruled that a fresh period of consultation is required over plans by Rusal to dump dredged material into the Shannon Estuary.
The Russian energy giant, which runs Aughinish Alumina applied to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a licence to dispose of up to 668,454 tonnes of dredged material from its plant over an eight year period.
The dump site is around 30 hectares.
Rusal’s initial bid for a licence drew objections from the Cappagh Farmers Group and Environmental Trust Ireland among others.
Now, the EPA has ruled that it has made a decision that is known as an ‘appropriate assessment’.
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In simple terms, this is a study into the potential adverse effects of a plan or project which lies in special areas of conservation and special protection areas.
These are on sites which are protected by national and international law.
The areas where Rusal wishes to dump dredged material in two European protected sites for nature - the Lower Shannon Special Area of Conservation, plus the River Shannon and River Fergus Special Protection area.
In a statement, the president of Environmental Trust Ireland, city solicitor Michelle Hayes said using these sites “is clearly unsustainable”.
“Past flooding events on Aughinish have already occurred and climate change resulting in tidal surges up the estuary could result in flooding of the red mud area, causing it to flow into the Shannon,” Ms Hayes explained.
The solicitor took out a successful High Court review two years ago which stopped an expansion at Aughinish.
Based near the site, the Cappagh Farmers Group also lodged its own objection to Rusal’s latest plan.
Part of their contact with the EPA reads that the new plans “will affect fish and the whole eco-system”.
“It will make an already vulnerable situation even worse,” they argued. Rusal did not return a request for comment.
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