1H cement demand in Spain sees 17% rise

Cement consumption in Spain increased 17.3 per cent YoY to 7,309,916t in the first half of 2021, according to Spanish cement association, Oficemen. When compared with the 1H19 demand dipped 1.4 per cent.

The positive trend in demand has been due to high sales in June 2021, which registered the highest volume since June 2011. A total of 1,389,619t of cement were sold in Spain, representing advances of 4.7 and 9.3 per cent when compared with the same month in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

“We must remember that the month of June 2020 marked the general beginning of the de-escalation, with the gradual entry of most of the CCAA into phases I, II and III of opening. It is, therefore, the last month affected by the activity and mobility limitations of the confinement in the comparison. We hope, as we indicated in previous notes, to be able to make a reliable forecast of the sector for 2021 in September, when we will have the data for July and August, already excluded from restrictions. However, the current evolution and the economic indicators to which we have access make us foresee a more optimistic result for the end of this year than we predicted in January, when taking stock of 2020, ” explained Oficemen President, Víctor García Brosa.