EIA: Densified biomass fuel sales at 680,000 tons in April

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 850,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in April, with sales reaching 680,000 tons.

The data was released as part of the July edition of EIA’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report, which contains data for April. 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 April had a total combined production capacity of 13.27 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,463 full-time employees.

Respondents purchased 1.72 million tons of raw biomass feedstock in April, produced 850,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 680,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 129,728 tons of heating pellets and 722,022 tons of utility pellets.

Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in April reached 82,062 tons at an average price of $200.34 per ton. Exports in April reached 600,269 tons at an average price of $160.83 per ton.

Inventories of premium/standard pellets increased to 297,115 tons in April, up from 249,049 tons in March. Inventories of utility pellets expanded to 352,165 tons in April, up from 347,147 tons in March.

Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 13.35 million tons in April, with all of that capacity listed as currently operating or temporarily not in operation. Capacity included 1.97 million tons in the East, 10.54 million tons in the South, and 837,200 tons in the West.