Deripaska's Rusal Shuts Down Four Plants Due to Losses
The Russian aluminum company “Rusal,” founded by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, may temporarily suspend operations at four of its plants due to annual losses of approximately $800 million. The company has already informed Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin of the possible shutdown, according to Russian media reports.
The facilities in question are the Pikalovsky Alumina Plant, the North Ural Bauxite Mine, and the Bogoslovsky and Ural Alumina Plants. According to the company, these facilities are incurring significant losses due to the high cost of processing raw materials.
In 2025, the Pikalovsk, Bogoslovsk, and Ural plants together produced 2.1 million metric tons of alumina, accounting for about 30.7% of Rusal’s total production of this raw material. Losses from processing are estimated at approximately $400 per metric ton of aluminum.
One of the main risks of a potential shutdown of these facilities is job losses in the single-industry towns where they are located. Rusal is asking the Russian government to provide state support to the regions to minimize the consequences of the plant shutdowns, as well as funding for their modernization.
The company has stated its intention to minimize the socioeconomic consequences of the shutdown. At the same time, Ahmed Aliyev, a senior analyst at T-Investments, believes that in the event of a complete shutdown of its plants, Rusal may switch to purchasing raw materials abroad. Given the current low prices for alumina, this option may be more profitable for the company.
Earlier, Deripaska proposed forcing Russians to work 12 hours a day, six days a week.
The Russian aluminum giant Rusal, founded by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, posted a net annual loss for the first time since 2014. According to its 2025 results, the company—which comprises 12 plants and is the largest aluminum producer outside of China—lost $455 million.
Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska deleted from his Telegram channel all posts published before November 1, 2025, that contained significant criticism of Russia’s policies.
