Spain's cement market expands 9% in November

Cement consumption in Spain increased 9.1 per cent YoY to 1,318,146t in November, according to Oficemen, the country’s cement association.

Demand in the first 11 months of 2021 advanced 10.6 per cent YoY to 12.738Mt when compared with the 11M20.

"In these 11 months, consumption accumulated growth of 10.6 per cent, an evolution that slightly improves the forecasts made by our research department in September and allows us to observe with moderate optimism the evolution of the domestic market,” said José Manuel Cascajero, president of Oficemen.

Falling exports
However, exports declined nearly 12 per cent YoY, decreasing by 56,451t when compared with November 2020. The drop has been attributed by a 42.2 per cent YoY decrease in clinker exports.

"We cannot ignore the fact that this data is influenced by energy and CO₂ costs, which are currently at their historical maximums, and that, due to their great impact on our manufacturing process, they are seriously weighing down the competitiveness of our industry," said Mr Cascajero.

While exports have increased by 11 per cent YoY in the January-November period, the latest data show a 5.5 percentage point drop MoM.