- Ciment Català forecasts a stagnation in infrastructure investments due to the extension of public administrations’ budgets.
The boost in consumption achieved during December, with a growth of 15.4% compared to 2023, has allowed the cement market in Catalonia to close 2024 at a flat level for the year (+0.9%). To put the current size into context, it is enough to remember that the 2.15 million tons used in 2024 are equivalent to the consumption of 2012 (when four years had already passed since the burst of the housing bubble) and are lower than those of 1965, almost 60 years ago.
The rest of the figures have remained quite like 2023: while production has increased by 6.4% and reached 3.41 million tons, exports have fallen by 3.7%, standing at 1.71 million tons. The figures for Catalonia align with those of the overall Spanish market.
Cement manufacturing companies foresee some stagnation for 2025. Essentially, this is because no significant changes are expected in public works spending, as both the Catalan administration, the municipal government of Barcelona, and the Spanish government are currently operating with extended budgets, which will inevitably limit tenders and investments in infrastructure.
Salvador Fernández Capo, president of the Ciment Català employers’ association, believes that the major challenge for 2025 will be “advancing in the implementation of the roadmap for the sector’s climate neutrality and ensuring the processing of decarbonization projects for our industry, in line with the energy transition plans of the European Union”. The development of CCS (carbon capture, storage, and utilization) technologies and the gradual phase-out of CO2 emission rights require cement plants to make significant investments in their facilities to maintain operations. “We need the commitment and collaboration of the Administration in these projects,” concludes Fernández Capo, “and this means greater agility in granting permits and financial aid. The fight against Climate Change is everyone’s responsibility.”