Venezuela: In the wake of the earthquakes that hit Venezuela on 24 June 2026, the cement industry has warned that the cement produced in the country is not suitable for rebuilding homes, according to El Nacional newspaper. Faced with a proposed reconstruction plan designed by the government, citizens of La Guaira are urging the authorities to use ‘high-quality materials’ to ensure safe structures and prevent another disaster. Orlando Chirinos, president of the United Federation of Cement Workers of Venezuela, explained that warnings were issued eight years ago about the risks of building with CPCA 1 blended cement, saying that it’s a cement for ‘refractory work, plastering, and flooring,’ and is not suitable for large-scale construction.
“A reconstruction phase is coming, and we Venezuelans must build with quality materials, with quality cement; the necessary corrective measures must be taken to resume production of Type 1 cement,” he said.
Only 1Mt/yr of cement is produced from a production capacity of 9Mt/yr. Data provided by Chirinos reveals that the country’s cement processing plants operate intermittently. The Lara plant in Barquisimeto is only operating with one of its three installed kilns, for example. Chirinos said that this situation is replicated at all cement plants across the country, leading to a drop in production and a final product that does not meet quality standards. Many of the hundreds of buildings that collapsed in regions such as La Guaira were built by the government through the Great Venezuela Housing Mission.