In January, U.S. manufacturers collectively produced approximately 830,000 tons of densified biomass fuels, as reported in the April edition of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report. Concurrently, sales of densified biomass fuel for the same period reached 650,000 tons.
The report, based on data collected from 76 active manufacturers of densified biomass fuel, underscores the robustness of the industry. Notably, the surveyed manufacturers, boasting a combined annual production capacity of 13.17 million tons, employed a workforce equivalent to 2,404 full-time employees.
It’s worth noting that the report excludes facilities with annual production capacities below 10,000 tons, which submit data on an annual basis rather than monthly.
In January, respondents to the survey procured 1.55 million tons of raw biomass feedstock, translating into the production of 830,000 tons of densified biomass fuel, comprising 142,323 tons of heating pellets and 693,119 tons of utility pellets. This production was accompanied by domestic sales totaling 140,869 tons, fetching an average price of $226.72 per ton, and exports amounting to 516,492 tons, with an average price of $198.29 per ton.
Inventories of premium/standard pellets expanded to 192,787 tons in January, up from 190,268 tons in December, while inventories of utility pellets increased to 411,965 tons from 305,051 tons in the same period.
According to data compiled by the EIA, total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity stood at 13.05 million tons in January, with all listed capacity currently operational or temporarily inactive. This capacity distribution included 1.97 million tons in the East, 10.28 million tons in the South, and 794,200 tons in the West, underlining the geographical diversity of the industry’s footprint.