Demand for cement in Spain increased 5.9 per cent YoY to 14.254Mt in 2019, according to the Spanish cement association, Oficemen.

However, the cement association expressed concern about the lower rate of growth in the second half of the year. “The trend was up during the first six months of 2019, when it increased at a rate close to 11 per cent but stagnated in the second half, even with a slight fall of 0.2 per cent in the accumulated [demand] from July to December, compared to the same period of 2018,” the association said.

It attributes the slowdown to the “practical paralysis” of public works and the halt in house-building. Residential development is stagnant. Investment is approximately one per cent, compared to two per cent of neighbouring countries.