Drop in Spanish demand for cement

Oficemen said the fall to 19million tonnes was likely to be followed by a December 2011 demand of 20.2million tonnes, down 17% on December 2010. Demand will continue to drop in 2012, claims Oficemen, as a result of the low levels of public work projects and lack of new residential property projects. Over the last four years, cement demand has dropped by 64% and it is expected to go down by 8%-12% in 2012.

According to Oficemen (Spanish Association of Cement Producers) 7.2 million tonnes of cement were consumed in Spain in the first half of 2012. This represents a decrease of 34.7% in comparison to the same period in 2011. Oficemen also noted that exports have increased by 40% in comparison to the first half of 2011, although cement production fell by 28% in the first six months of 2012.