Belgium: cement consumption up 4.6% in 2015

Belgian cement demand increased 4.6 per cent YoY to 6,403,460t, according to Febelcem, the country's cement association. The rise was supported by good weather and a positive new housing market.

The construction market saw a three per cent increase in both new residential building and renovation while public investment expanded by 5.7 per cent.

Febelcem members delivered close to 4.9Mt while an additional 1.5Mt was imported as producers in nearby countries face declining domestic markets.

"For 2016, we expect a stabilisation of cement consumption. In 2017 or 2018, we estimate a slight increase of about one per cent,” said Louis Beauchemin, president of Febelcem. Based on the estimates of the Construction Confederation, Febelcem stressed that the activity of the residential building should this year down 7.5 per cent and non-residential construction will grow by 7.5 per cent. The civil works are expected to follow the positive trend of 2015 and increase slightly by one per cent.

The mileage tax launched on April 1 should also have an impact on the final price of cement. "The mileage tax is an additional cost on cement as is the case for other goods transported by road. It will have a greater financial impact on the cement due to the low value of the product," says Beauchemin. "We hope that the financial returns generated by the tax will be used for infrastructure works and roads."