UK bitumen consumption fell by 10.5pc last year compared with 2023 and hit the lowest level since 2016, data from the UK government's department for energy security and net zero (DESNZ) shows.
The UK consumed 1.38mn t of bitumen in 2024. In the fourth quarter bitumen demand fell by 5.4pc to 322,000t compared with the same period of 2023, although December consumption rose by 3.75pc on the year to 83,000t.
The fall in 2024 continues a downward trend in bitumen consumption since 2021 in the UK. Domestic consumption fell by 25.1pc between 2021 and 2024 and production dropped by 38pc over the same period, despite a rise in production last year.
Production rose by 20.3pc on the previous year to 449,000t in 2024, despite lower fourth quarter output, when the UK produced 51,000t of bitumen, 16.3pc lower than in the fourth quarter of 2023. The highest output was in the second quarter last year, with the highest quarterly output since the second quarter of 2021. Output during the winter months tends to drop as cold weather halts much road building and maintenance.
Insufficient government funding for road paving projects is limiting bitumen demand. UK finance minister Rachel Reeves allocated £500mn ($631mn) to road maintenance in October, but England alone needs £14.4bn as a one-time catch up cost, according to industry organisation the Asphalt Industry Alliance.
