EIA: Densified biomass fuel sales reach 760,000 tons in October

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 850,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in October, with sales reaching 760,000 tons.

The data was released as part of the January edition of EIA’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report, which contains data for October. The EIA collected data from 80 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 80 manufacturers surveyed for October had a total combined production capacity of 12.96 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,309 full-time employees.

Respondents purchased 1.62 million tons of raw biomass feedstock in October, produced 850,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 760,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 164,683 tons of heating pellets and 688,255 tons of utility pellets.

Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in October reached 223,197 tons at an average price of $187.00 per ton. Exports in October reached 543,107 tons at an average price of $175.74 per ton.

Inventories of premium/standard pellets fell to 216,306 tons in October, down from 254,422 tons in September. Inventories of utility pellets expanded to 476,348 tons in October, up from 324,412 tons in September.

Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 13.08 million tons in October, with all of that capacity listed as currently operating or temporarily not in operation. Capacity included 1.98 million tons in the East, 10.26 million tons in the South, and 838,000 tons in the West.