Cement consumption drops further in Spain

According to Oficemen, cement consumption in Spain came in at just over 989 000 t in November, down 33.7% from 1.49 million t in the same month last year. Meanwhile, production levels fell by 27.9% y/y to under 1.1 million t. Accumulated consumption in January – November 2012 decreased by 33.8% y/y and cement production was down 28.5% y/y to 14.9 million t, compared to 20.9 million t in 2011.

Cement consumption continued to fall in Andalucía. Consumption in October was down 37% y/y to 178 000 t, with consumption in the first 10 months of the year decreasing by 41.4% y/y to 1.87 million t. These declining figures have been attributed to the region’s lack of competitiveness, brought about by the rising production and electricity costs experienced by the industry over the last few years.

In Catalonia, cement consumption dropped 24.6% y/y to less than 142 900 t. Production levels also remain in decline, with plants in the region operating at 27% capacity to cover domestic demand.

Edited from various sources by Louise Fordham.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/20122012/cement_statistics_spain_oficemen_andalucia_catalunia_2012_1/