Cement consumption in Catalonia in the month of August has registered a drop of 11.0%. With this figure, the accumulated consumption of the moving year (last twelve months) stands at -2.9% and a volume of 2.24 million tons, a low amount for the investments in maintenance and new infrastructure that the country needs to be competitive. This lack of investment is already reflected in services that affect all citizens, such as, for example, the local public transportation network.
Cement production also fell by a slight 2.7% in August, while in the last year it fell by 4.4%, with a volume of 3.15 million tons. Exports of cement and clinker have suffered a sharp decrease of 32.7% in August compared to 2022, which means that their volume in the last twelve months stands at 1.74 million tons (-3 .7%). In conclusion: all the monthly and interannual indicators of Production, Consumption and Exports therefore present falls.
For the president of Ciment Català, Salvador Fernández Capo, the poor economic situation in the market due to lack of investment in public works “adds to the challenges derived from the decarbonization processes that our factories are developing and with which the cement sector in Catalonia is absolutely committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.”
In this sense, the Ciment Català employers’ association has held several meetings with public administrations to request more explicit and, above all, immediate support. Fernández Capo asks that “the administrative procedures necessary for the authorization of measures that reduce the carbon footprint be more efficient, on time, and to be able to launch technological processes and CO2 capture facilities.” In this regard, Ciment Català insists on the capital importance of these procedures in order to meet the schedule of the objectives set.