Displaying items by tag: Catalonia

Spain: Cement consumption in Catalonia slightly decreased by 0.6% year-on-year in September 2024, totalling 151,157t, according to the employers’ association Ciment Català. The association has confirmed stabilisation of the cement market, following a decline that started in November 2022. In the first nine months of 2024, consumption stood at 2.1Mt, down by 4.3% from the same period in 2023. However, cement production saw a 15% increase in September 2024, to 271,718t. Production in 2024 dropped slightly by 0.3% year-on-year to 3.31Mt. Exports of cement and clinker in September 2024 remained stable, with a marginal increase of 0.3%, amounting to 144,601t. In 2024, exports declined by 25% to 1.5Mt.

Ciment Català said that the industry is shifting towards decarbonisation and that "industrial projects associated with sustainability involve extraordinarily high investments", according to Via Empresa News.

Catalonia: Cement consumption in Catalonia decreased by 3% year-on-year to 1.1Mt in the first half of 2024. Cement production rose by 0.2% year-on-year to 3.21Mt. However, cement and clinker exports dropped by 25% to 1.5Mt.

The president of Ciment Català, Salvador Fernández Capo, said "The continued infrastructure deficit is hindering Catalonia's economic growth, affecting the well-being and quality of life of its citizens and diminishing the competitiveness of the country's economy.”

Spain: Domestic cement consumption in Catalonia fell by 8.5% year-on-year in the year to May 2024, reaching 2.1Mt, while production decreased by 6.6% to 3.14Mt. Exports also declined by 18% to 1.6Mt during this period.

According to Ciment Català, the statistics confirm the ‘sluggishness’ of the domestic market and the difficulties Catalan companies face in competing in other regions and countries. It warned that the situation could become worse due to the general economic situation in the region. Salvador Fernández Capo, president of Ciment Català, said that investment in infrastructure was likely to be further delayed.

Spain: Cement consumption in Catalonia fell by 11% in August 2023, while production fell by 2.7%, and exports by 32.7%, according to regional cement association Ciment Català. During the 12 months, to 31 August 2023 consumption decreased by 2.9% to 2.24Mt, while production fell by 4.4% to 3.15Mt and exports fell by 3.7% to 1.74Mt. Ciment Català’s president, Salvador Fernández, attributed these declines to the poor economic situation in the autonomous region, a lack of investment and ‘the challenges of the decarbonisation process,’ according to Europa Press.

Spain: The Climate Action Ministry of the Catalonian government has granted an environmental authorisation to Holcim España's 0.9Mt/yr Montcada i Reixac cement plant. The authorisation includes an environmental impact statement for the plant's activities. The Expansión newspaper has reported that the documentation brings the Montcada i Reixac cement plant in line with court rulings, which had found in favour of the Montcada i Reixac city council in ruling that the plant did not have the proper certification to continue operations.

Holcim España employs 327 people at the cement plant, which serves the market in and around Barcelona.

Spain: The Catalonia government has received a court order to close down LafargeHolcim España’s Montcada i Reixac cement plant in Barcelona. The Spanish Collection newspaper has reported that the plant failed to conform to new environmental regulations. LafargeHolcim España has appealed the decision.

The Montcada i Reixac plant currently employs 300 people. A union involved in the issue said that the alleged breach is formal rather than substantive and that an administrative error by the regional government caused the plant to breach the regulations.

Spain: Cement consumption in Catalonia between February 2018 and February 2019 reached 1.76Mt, 4.7% less than a year earlier, according to regional association Ciment Català. The president of the organisation, Salvador Fernández Capo, stressed that this situation could be explained by economic uncertainty, rising electricity prices and a lack of construction projects in the region.