Rusal’s Mykolaiv alumina refinery settles dispute with Ukrainian customs over bauxite supplies

Rusal’s Mykolaiv alumina refinery in Ukraine said on Tuesday, May 5, that it could settle the dispute with Ukrainian customs service regarding access to bauxite supplies and avoided temporary suspension of production.

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.

Meanwhile, the Black Sea customs authority had blocked the import of bauxite raw materials into Ukraine, requiring additional fees, which led to almost a critical decline in bauxite stocks at the refinery.

The management of the refinery then addressed directly to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky for support, saying that it might have to stop production temporarily if the bauxite reserves fall to a critical level.

Neither the customs service nor the President offices responded to a request for comment on how they managed to resolve the situation.

Only the acting head of the State customs service Igor Muratov said, “The government is interested that the plant worked steadily, providing people with wages and the state tax in the budget, so barriers from customs clearance to the bauxite must be stopped,” in a statement after the meetings with Finance Minister Sergei Marchenko.