EIA: Densified biomass fuel sales reach 990,000 tons in November

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 790,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in November, with sales reaching 990,000 tons.

The data was released as part of the February edition of EIA’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report, which contains data for November. 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 November had a total combined production capacity of 12.96 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,331 full-time employees.

Respondents purchased 1.6 million tons of raw biomass feedstock in November, produced 790,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 990,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 149,511 tons of heating pellets and 645,782 tons of utility pellets.

Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in November reached 225,651 tons at an average price of $189.12 per ton. Exports in November reached 764,642 tons at an average price of $172.32 per ton.

Inventories of premium/standard pellets fell to 163,356 tons in November, down from 216,306 tons in October. Inventories of utility pellets fell to 407,359 tons in November, down from 476,348 tons in October.

Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 13.08 million tons in November, 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.