The US electric power sector is on course to expand its waste biomass generating capacity over the next two years, according to the US Energy Information Administration's Short-Term Energy Outlook published on 12 May.
Waste biomass capacity in the electric power sector stood at 2.6 GW at the close of 2025 and is projected to reach 2.7 GW this year and 2.8 GW in 2027.
Wood biomass capacity in the same sector, at 2.1 GW, is expected to hold steady across both years. Industrial and commercial sector capacity for both fuel types is similarly forecast to remain unchanged through the outlook period.
On the generation side, biomass-fired output is expected to ease slightly, from 20.5 billion kWh in 2025 to around 20 billion kWh in 2026 and just under that figure in 2027.
Biomass's share of US renewable electricity generation, which was just under 2% last year, is projected to narrow modestly over the forecast horizon as other renewables — particularly solar and wind — continue to expand their share of the mix.
Renewables overall are forecast to supply more than 26% of US electricity generation in 2026, rising to nearly 28% in 2027, up from 24% in 2025.
Consumption data across sectors presents a mixed picture. Waste biomass consumption is projected to edge upward in aggregate, from 0.372 quadrillion Btu in 2025 to 0.375 quad this year, before a marginal dip in 2027.
Wood biomass consumption across all sectors is forecast to grow more substantially, from 1.912 quad in 2025 to around 1.974 quad in 2026 and just over 2 quad in 2027, with industrial use accounting for the bulk of that increase.
US waste biomass generating capacity set to grow through 2027, EIA forecasts
