Turkey is Europe’s single largest cement market and domestic demand expected to continue growing at around 4-5 per cent annually due to the country’s housing and infrastructure needs. Over the next decade local output is expected to reach 100Mta, of which 80Mt will serve domestic requirements.
In addition, Turkey holds a position as Europe’s largest cement exporter. As a consequence, all Turkish cement companies manufacture their products in accordance with EU norms to comply with quality, environmental, and health and safety standards.
Cement companies in Turkey operate in a market characterized by high competition. Significant cement production costs include raw and auxiliary materials, energy and fuel. Electrical energy and fuel costs, in particular, affect the Turkish cement sector’s competitiveness and frequent variations mean its producers can be at a cost disadvantage compared with manufacturers in other countries.
Despite their potential to reduce overall fuel costs, alternative fuels only account for 2.4% of the Turkish fuel mix. This is mainly due to the lack of established infrastructure to collect, sort and distribute burnable fractions. Another key factor lies in their operational issues as the introduction of highly-variable alternative fuels can impact calciner and kiln operations, resulting in large variations in clinker quality.