Cement production in the Czech Republic increased 2.5 per cent YoY to 4.03Mt in 2017, according to the Czech Cement Association. Similarly, consumption showed growth of 3.5 per cent YoY to 3.95Mt in the same period.

Imports increased by 19.2 per cent YoY to 552,290t in 2017, with deliveries to Slovakia consisting of almost half the figure and Poland forming over a third.

However, exports fell 6.5 per cent to 547,267t in 2017 when compared with the previous year. Amongst the top export markets were Slovakia and Germany with over 60 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively, followed by Poland and Austria.

Production has risen by over 25 per cent within the last four years, with cement demand showing a similar increase.

Alternative fuels
In 2016 biomass made up 25 per cent of the fuels used in cement production, while the usage of tyres as fuel grew to 13 per cent.