February 2015: fifth consecutive month of y/y growth for cement consumption in Cataluña

According to Ciment Catalá, the cement association for Cataluña, Spain, local cement consumption increased by 14% y/y to 114 822 t in February 2015. This is the fifth consecutive month of y/y growth.

However, production volumes dropped by 28.3% y/y to 163 276 t during the month and exports of cement and clinker declined by 14.9% y/y. The association has linked these decreases to the difficulty faced by the industry in Cataluña when it comes to competing in terms of production costs, electricity prices and availability of alternative fuels.

In the 12 months to February 2015, consumption fell by 6% y/y to approximately 1.32 million t. Conversely, exports and production levels improved over this period, rising by 43.7% y/y and 3.1% y/y, respectively.

Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/18032015/cataluna-cement-consumption-increased-february-2015-542/