Senate Democrat increases scrutiny of Russian investment in a Kentucky mill

WASHINGTON -- A top Senate Democrat is asking the owner of a controversial Kentucky aluminum mill to provide more details about a Russian oligarch’s investment in the project, including whether the partnership could provide the Russian company with access to sensitive information.

In a letter to Craig Bouchard, Braidy Industries’ chief executive officer, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, says recent reports about the plant have raised questions about whether there were discussions with the Russian company’s investment in the plant before the U.S. Treasury Department lifted sanctions on the company.

The Russian firm Rusal, which has pledged a $200 million investment in a Braidy Industries proposed $1.68 billion aluminum mill near Ashland, was taken off a Treasury sanctions list in late January, despite assertions that it and a large shareholder, Oleg Deripaska, are closely tied to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Rusal’s parent company, En+, noted Thursday that Deripaska had already relinquished his control of the company and “has no any management or day-to-day involvement in Rusal.” It said his stake has been reduced to a minority investment with no access to dividends.

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