EIA: Densified biomass fuel sales reach 690,000 tons in July

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 790,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in July, with sales reaching 690,000 tons.

The data was released as part of the October edition of EIA’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report, which contains data for July. The EIA collected data from 79 operating manufacturers of densified biomass fuel to complete the report. The report does not include data on facilities with annual production capacities of less than 10,000 tons. Those smaller facilities report data annually rather than monthly.

The 79 manufacturers surveyed for July had a total combined production capacity of 12.86 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,304 full-time employees.

Respondents purchased 1.44 million tons of raw biomass feedstock in July, produced 790,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 690,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 151,108 tons of heating pellets and 644,694 tons of utility pellets.

Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in July reached 185,375 tons at an average price of $181.94 per ton. Exports in July reached 504,204 tons at an average price of $162.50 per ton.

Inventories of premium/standard pellets increased to 304185,546 tons in July, up from 293,546 tons in June. Inventories of utility pellets increased to 398,789 tons in July, up from 316,006 tons in June.

Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 13 million tons in July, with all of that capacity listed as currently operating or temporarily not in operation. Capacity included 2.03 million tons in the East, 10.2 million tons in the South, and 766,000 tons in the West.