The consumption of cement falls 34,7% in the first semester of 2012

The forecasts for the total of 2012 are not the more halagüeñas. Oficemen Foresees that the consumption reduce until 25%, rondando the 15 million tonnes, what represents a fall of 73% with regard to the historical maximum reached in 2007 of 56 million tonnes. The sector could close the year with a per capita consumption of so alone 325 kg by inhabitant, some figures that did not see in our country from 1964 and that result even more alarming if we take into account that the context in those years was of economic growth and no of recession like the current.

“In the previous years to the crisis, Spain was the 5º world-wide producer of cement. In so alone five years have happened to the place 22 of said ranking”, explains the president of Oficemen, Juan Béjar.

Béjar Adds that “the recrudecimiento of the crisis and the continuous cuts in public work have carried us to that 60% of the capacity of the sector was infrautilizada and the scarce looks of improvement to half and long term do us fear that this situation of capacity infrautilizada no longer was circumstantial but structural”.

“The companies have been doing big efforts to keep the activity, since while the consumption fell 73%, the employment only did it around 25%”, explains Béjar, the one who adds that “in sight of the aggregated demand esperable in the public and private construction, is difficult that the partial stops and the temporary regulations of employment, tackled up to now, are sufficient measures to keep the installed capacity of the industry in our country”.

In this context, the president of Oficemen remembered the problems added that it can have the sector if the reform of the electrical model does not take into account the needs of the industry. “Have a competitive electrical price is determinante to ensure the survival of our industry, our exporting capacity and for the maintenance and the creation of employment in the sector”, alert Béjar.