Cement consumption in Catalonia recovered in April after the specific decline registered in March as a result of the impact of Holy Week and weather conditions. According to the data of the Cement Barometer managed by Oficemen, the increase is 20% compared to the same month of the previous year. This figure is equivalent to 2.4% cumulative annual increase (from January to April), while the interannual variation of consumption in the Catalan market, that is, the one that measures the last year compared with the previous year, increases by 14.6%. Currently, the annual cement consumption in Catalonia stands at 1.93 million tons.
In contrast, production has been reduced by 4.7% during the first 4 months of 2018 compared to the same period of the previous year. This is also a logical consequence of the drop in exports: the lack of competitiveness of the Catalan factories due to the energy costs they have to bear have led the year-on-year rate to drop by 7% (data corresponding to the month of March), up to 2.33 million tons. The Spanish industry pays the second most expensive price in Europe for electricity, and that hampers its access to international markets.