Ireland
Ireland was the world’s eighth-ranked producer of alumina
Pictured: alumina-zirconia abrasive
Statistics and information on the mining industry in Ireland.
Overview
In 2024, Ireland was estimated to be the world’s eighth-ranked producer of alumina, accounting for 1.2% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included aggregates, cement, clay, gypsum, lead, lime, natural gas, peat, silver, and zinc. Mining and quarrying accounted for 0.2% of the country’s gross value added.
The main legislative framework for the mineral sector is provided by the Minerals Development Acts of 1940, 1979, 1995, 1999, and 2017; Petroleum and other Minerals Development Act of 1960; and Energy Act of 2006. Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment oversees mineral sector policies. The Minister of Climate, Energy and the Environment issues licenses for exploration and mining activities (with some exceptions), which in Ireland were carried out by privately owned companies.
In 2024, the production of alumina increased to 1,720,000 metric tons, or by 24% compared with that in 2023. In 2023, the output of Aughinish Alumina Ltd.’s alumina refinery was at 69% of the total capacity (1,990,000 metric tons per year) owing to the natural gas price increase in Ireland. In 2024, the company reduced energy costs by implementing a project that switched the main energy source at the refinery to a boiler powered by renewable energy sources and increased the capacity utilization ratio of the refinery to 87%.
In 2024, Ireland was estimated to be the world’s eighth-ranked producer of alumina, accounting for 1.2% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included aggregates, cement, clay, gypsum, lead, lime, natural gas, peat, silver, and zinc. Data on mineral production are in the Production table (formerly table 1). Mining and quarrying accounted for 0.2% of the country’s gross value added (Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, 2021; Central Statistics Office, 2025; Merrill, 2026).
The main legislative framework for the mineral sector is provided by the Minerals Development Acts of 1940, 1979, 1995, 1999, and 2017; Petroleum and other Minerals Development Act of 1960; and Energy Act of 2006. Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment oversees mineral sector policies. The Minister of Climate, Energy and the Environment issues licenses for exploration and mining activities (with some exceptions), which in Ireland were carried out by privately owned companies. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. More-extensive coverage of government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports — International — Europe and Central Eurasia, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/europ… (Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, 2025).
Commodity Review
Bauxite and Alumina.—In 2024, the production of alumina increased to 1,720,000 metric tons, or by 24% compared with that in 2023. In 2023, the output of Aughinish Alumina Ltd.’s alumina refinery was at 69% of the total capacity (1,990,000 metric tons per year) owing to the natural gas price increase in Ireland. In 2024, the company reduced energy costs by implementing a project that switched the main energy source at the refinery to a boiler powered by renewable energy sources and increased the capacity utilization ratio of the refinery to 87%. The refinery was located on Aughinish Island near Limerick city and operated by Aughinish Alumina, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Company RUSAL of Russia (United Company RUSAL, 2024, p. 59–61; 2025, p. 28, 82).
Production table
(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)
| Commodity | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alumina | 1,883,000 | 1,878,000 | 1,629,000 | 1,383,000 | 1,720,000 |
| Cement, hydraulic | 3,300,000e | 4,000,000e | 3,800,000e | 3,600,000e | 3,600,000e |
| Gypsum, crude | 150,000e | 110,000e | 115,000e | 125,000e | 135,000e |
| Lead, mine, Pb content | 14,401 | 13,192 | 14,181 | 7,019 | 861 |
| Lead, refinery, secondary | 12,000 | 14,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,100 |
| Peat, briquettes | 141,000 | 124,000 | 73,000 | 26,000 | 0 |
| Silver, mine, Ag content (kilograms) | 918 | 1,342 | 2,750 | 998 | 60 |
| Zinc, mine, Zn content | 127,008 | 112,249 | 103,264 | 53,327 | 6,348 |
References Cited
- Central Statistics Office, 2025, Table 5.4 gross value added by activity at current basic prices: Cork, Ireland, Central Statistics Office, July 8. (Accessed August 26, 2025, at https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-ana/annualnationalac….)
- Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, 2021, Natural resources: Dublin, Ireland, Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, November 24. (Accessed July 26, 2025, https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/….)
- Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, 2025, Policy & legislation: Dublin, Ireland, Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. (Accessed August 26, 2025, at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/a186544ca13f491cb25cb4721f19c9….)
- Merrill, A.M., 2026, Bauxite and alumina: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 50–51.
- United Company RUSAL, 2024, Annual report 2023: Moscow, Russian Federation, United Company RUSAL, April 26, 311 p. (Accessed November 19, 2025, via https://rusal.ru/en/investors/financial-stat/annual-reports/.)
United Company RUSAL, 2025, Annual report 2024: Moscow, Russian Federation, United Company RUSAL, April 29, 336 p. (Accessed November 19, 2025, via https://rusal.ru/en/investors/financial-stat/annual-reports/.)
Publications
Reports: 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017-18 | 2019
Tables: 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017-18 | 2019 | 2020-21 Tables-only release | 2022 Tables-only release