EIA: Densified biomass fuel sales reach 910,000 tons in August

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 810,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in August, with sales reaching 910,000 tons.

The data was released as part of the November edition of EIA’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report, which contains data for August. 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 August had a total combined production capacity of 12.85 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,301 full-time employees.

Respondents purchased 1.48 million tons of raw biomass feedstock in August, produced 810,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 910,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 174,906 tons of heating pellets and 639,997 tons of utility pellets.

Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in August reached 224,527 tons at an average price of $185.11 per ton. Exports in August reached 696,168 tons at an average price of $165.60 per ton.

Inventories of premium/standard pellets fell to 269,886 tons in August, down from 304,185 tons in July. Inventories of utility pellets fell to 383,585 tons in August, down from 398,789 tons in July.

Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 13 million tons in August, 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.