Spain’s cement demand expands 5.2% in January

Spain’s cement consumption rose by 5.2 per cent YoY to 769,838t in January 2015, according to Oficemen, the domestic cement association.

The latest figures show an acceleration in growth, which at the end of 2014 stood at 0.4 per cent and noted the first annual increase since 2007.

Spanish cement consumption has now registered five consecutive months of YoY increases since September 2014. Industry commentators believe the country has finally turned a corner as improved economic conditions have led to an increase in activity in the residential and infrastructure sectors, albeit from a very low base.

The latest monthly figure for which data is available remains a long way off from the 4.5Mt recorded in January 2007 – the year that Spanish demand peaked at 56Mt before the onset of its high-profile descent.