EIA to release new monthly biofuels data

The U.S. Energy Information Administration announced March 25 that it will release expanded monthly biofuels data through a new report—the Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update. On March 31, 2021, EIA plans to publish the first edition of this report, which will contain January 2021 data. EIA will also modify petroleum and biofuel volumetric balances in the interactive Supply and Disposition summary data table in its Petroleum Navigator.

“We developed the Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update because of the significant growth in U.S. production of renewable fuels,” said EIA Acting Administrator Stephen Nalley. “The new data will help our data users better track production capacities and feedstock consumption for biofuels, which will increase understanding of the effects of biofuels on the energy industry and our economy.”

Changes to the monthly biofuels data and petroleum and biofuel volumetric balances include:

•The Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update replaces the Monthly Biodiesel Production Report, but the biodiesel report will continue to be the source of EIA’s historical monthly biodiesel data before January 2021.

•Table 1 of the Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update will report expanded coverage of production capacities for biodiesel, fuel alcohol, and renewable fuels.

•Table 2 of the Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update will replace Table 3 of the Monthly Biodiesel Production Report and reflect expanded coverage of the types of biofuel feedstocks consumed to include feedstocks used in the production of biodiesel, fuel alcohol, and renewable fuels.

•Changes to the Supply and Disposition summary data table include:

•For the Renewable Fuels Except Fuel Ethanol product category, Renewable Fuels & Oxygenate Plant Net Production under Supply will include renewable fuels in addition to biodiesel.

•For the Renewable Fuels Except Fuel Ethanol product category, balance quantities reported as Adjustments under Supply will be discontinued, while balance quantities reported as Products Supplied under Disposition will be introduced.

•For the Distillate Fuel Oil product category, biodiesel quantities reported as Adjustments under Supply will be discontinued.

•For the Finished Petroleum Products product category, which includes Distillate Fuel Oil and Kerosene-Type Jet Fuel as two of the subcategories, quantities of petroleum products blended with biofuels at biofuel producing plants will be reported as Renewable Fuels & Oxygenate Plant Net Production under Supply.

The composition of the monthly data for the Fuel Ethanol product category of the Supply and Disposition summary data table will continue to be consistent with that of the historical data before January 2021.

EIA plans to publish revisions to the new monthly biofuels data for 2021 and petroleum and biofuel volumetric balances with the release of the Petroleum Supply Annual data tables in August 2022.

The full Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feedstocks Update will be available March 31 on the EIA website.