Czech market expands 5% in 2021

Cement consumption in the Czech Republic saw a 5.2 per cent advance to 4.68Mt in 2021 when compared with the previous year, according to the Czech Cement Association.

Domestic cement production advanced by 4.6 per cent YoY to 4.72Mt in 2021 from 4.513Mt in 2020.
Of this total, 0.615Mt was exported, representing a 9.2 per cent increase on export volumes in 2020.

Supply in the Czech market in 2021 was boosted by 0.579Mt of imports, which saw a 14.9 per cent YoY rise. Nearly half of the amount was imported from Slovakia and a quarter from Poland.

The energy crisis has considerably affected cement producers. “If there is no gas in early 2023 there will be no cement production,’ said Jan Gemrich, the association’s secretary. Moreover, due to the current electricity spot market prices, cement production will need to be suspended soon, he added.

The country’s cement industry has seen natural gas use fall to 0.8 per cent of its fuel mix. Coal accounts for 20.3 per cent while heavy fuel oil for 0.3 per cent. The sector also uses alternative fuels for part of its fuel mix. This includes industrial waste (40.1 per cent share of the total fuel mix), biomass (32.1 per cent) and used tyres (4.7 per cent).