Ireland’s bauxite import totalled 4.6 MT in 2016, Guinea ranked as the top supplier

Ireland, the main alumina refining hub in entire Europe, is a major bauxite importer. The country has been featuring as one of the world's top five bauxite importing countries since 2006. It ranks fourth in terms of bauxite import volume after China, USA, and Ukraine. Since 2015, annual bauxite imports in Ireland have increased at around four per cent rate year-on-year.

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International trade data shows, Ireland imported 4.603 million tonnes of bauxite in 2016, up 4.3 per cent from the previous year. In 2015, total bauxite import in the country was estimated at 4.41 million tonnes. In 2017, however, bauxite import by the European nation is projected to drop by 7.6 per cent year-on-year to total at 4.25 million tonnes.

The cost of bauxite imports in Ireland has come down significantly over the last three years. In 2016, bauxite purchased from overseas sellers was valued at US$215.36 million, down from US$230.03 million in 2015. In 2017, the total cost of the ore import is estimated to reach US$208.19 million, down 3.32 per cent year-on-year.

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Rusal Aughinish Alumina in Ireland is the largest alumina refinery in Europe and the largest of the alumina facilities operated by the aluminium giant. The current annual capacity of the refinery is in excess of 1.915 million tonnes of alumina. Year after year it has been implementing the latest refining technologies available to ensure it remains one of the top as well as low-cost alumina producers in the world.

In 2016, Ireland imported its largest chunk of bauxite from Guinea (3249661.67 tonnes), Brazil (1086328.98 tonnes), Guyana (223252.35 tonnes), Greece (19956.06 tonnes), and the United Kingdom (24438.39 tonnes).