Rusal’s alumina refinery in Ukraine to temporarily stop production on bauxite supply disruption

Rusal’s alumina refinery in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv announced on Wednesday, April 28, that it might have to temporarily stop production as Ukrainian customs authorities blocked access to bauxite supplies.

The refinery, located near Ukraine’s Black Sea coastline, primarily relies on overseas bauxite and exports alumina from its production to Rusal’s aluminium smelters in Siberia.

Besides, the Black Sea customs authority is hindering the import of bauxite raw materials into Ukraine, which is also adding up a cause for the critical decline in bauxite stocks at the refinery.

“The Mykolaiv alumina plant operates entirely in line with Ukrainian law as it stands,” the business said in a statement.

However, Ukraine’s customs declined to comment in this regard.

The alumina refinery employs around 3,500 people. On decreasing bauxite stocks to critical levels at the refinery, maintaining production on a four-day week basis is becoming difficult.

If supplies drop to a level that can only furnish a three-day week, then the refinery will be unable to function for technical reasons. Hence, the decision has been taken to temporarily suspend the operations of the refinery from April 30.

According to an official statement by the refinery, it had also written a letter to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky for some assistance in this issue.