EIA: Densified biomass fuel sales at 860,000 metric tons in Augus

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 890,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in August, with sales reaching 860,000 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 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 August had a total combined production capacity of 13.33 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,456 full-time employees.

Respondents purchased 990,000 tons of raw biomass feedstock in August, produced 890,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 860,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 164,790 tons of heating pellets and 726,256 tons of utility pellets.

Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in August reached 199,253 tons at an average price of $199.66 per ton. Exports in August reached 663,887 tons at an average price of $220.15 per ton.

Inventories of premium/standard pellets fell to 256,337 tons in August, down from 319,820 tons in July. Inventories of utility pellets expanded to 473,038 tons in August, up from 398,803 tons in July.

Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 13.38 million tons in August, 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 871,700 tons in the West.