Polish cement producers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the EU’s decision to limit the number of CO2 emission licences to be awarded in Poland.

If the Polish government decides to reduce the number of CO2 emission licences allocated for all branches by, in practice, approx. 30%, cement makers will only be able to supply the market with 11.5Mta, i.e. the same level of consumption as in 2003-2004, i.e. a time of severe recession in the construction sector, according to a Memorandum of the Polish Cement Association recently submitted to the Polish government.

Business owners estimate that, given the present high growth in the branch, in two or three years from now demand for cement will be twice as high as it is today.

Since 2006 the domestic construction market has enjoyed a strong growth dynamic, manifested in a 21% increase in cement output, which amounts to approx. 320kg per capita, while the average for the old EU states amounts to roughly 500kg.

According to prognoses prepared for the NSRO (National Strategic Reference Framework) and the NPR (the National Development Plan) average annual demand in 2008-2012 will stand at 18.5 and 23.3Mt, respectively.