Spanish cement demand falls 1.5% in February

Cement consumption in Spain fell 1.5 per cent in February, compared to the same month in the previous year. According to Oficemen, demand in February stood at 1,157,811t, marking a 17,769t contraction versus February 2023. This marks the ninth month in a row that cement demand in Spain has declined. 

The cumulative figure for the year to date sees consumption down 2.4 per cent YoY, or 53,852t, at 2,187,069t. The last 12 months (March 2023-February) saw consumption come in at 14,447,056t, down 2.6 per cent on the same period a year earlier. 

Exports also declined in February, down 13.9 per cent or 61,572t, to 380,618t compared to February 2023. This marks the eighth month of contraction in export volumes. The cumulative figure for the year so far shows a 17.2 per cent fall to 727,054t, while the 12-month period of March 2023-February 2024 saw exports down 9.8 per cent YoY. 

Oficemen warns that the latest public works bidding figures for January 2024 suggest a decline of 3.8 per cent in investment by all public administrations. “Greater collaboration and communication between public and private institutions is necessary when designing public contracting processes if we want to maintain the competitiveness of our infrastructures,” says Aniceto Zaragoza, general director, Oficemen.