In October, U.S. manufacturers demonstrated robust production in the densified biomass fuel sector, yielding an estimated 980,000 tons, as reported in the latest edition of the U.S. Energy Information Administration‘s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report released in January. During the same period, sales of densified biomass fuel attained an impressive 950,000 tons.
To compile this comprehensive report, the EIA meticulously gathered data from 76 active manufacturers of densified biomass fuel. Worth noting is that the report excludes facilities with annual production capacities below 10,000 tons, which adhere to an annual reporting schedule rather than a monthly one.
The 76 manufacturers surveyed for October boasted a collective production capacity of 12.6 million tons per year, sustaining a workforce equivalent to 2,487 full-time employees.
In terms of raw biomass feedstock, respondents procured 1.7 million tons in October. The production phase saw the transformation of this feedstock into 980,000 tons of densified biomass fuel, which was subsequently sold at an impressive 950,000 tons. The product breakdown included 185,593 tons of heating pellets and 797,247 tons of utility pellets.
On the sales front, domestic transactions in October accounted for 220,832 tons of densified biomass fuel at an average price of $228.75 per ton. Simultaneously, exports during the same period reached 730,557 tons, commanding an average price of $188.83 per ton.
Notable shifts in inventories were observed, with premium/standard pellets decreasing to 202,668 tons in October, down from 229,446 tons in September. Conversely, inventories of utility pellets expanded to 452,484 tons in October, up from 390,386 tons in the preceding month.
Analyzing the broader landscape, EIA’s data unveiled that the total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity stood at 12.69 million tons in October, with all recorded capacity categorized as either currently operational or temporarily inactive. This capacity distribution comprised 1.81 million tons in the East, 10.25 million tons in the South, and 632,450 tons in the West.