The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently released data showing that US manufacturers produced approximately 790,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in January, with sales reaching 740,000 tons.
The data was released as part of the EIA's Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report, which contains data for January. 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 January had a total combined production capacity of 13 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,332 full-time employees.
Respondents purchased 1.55 million tons of raw biomass feedstock in January, produced 790,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 740,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 129,081 tons of heating pellets and 663,349 tons of utility pellets.
Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in January reached 116,046 tons at an average price of $195.19 per ton. Exports in January reached 630,064 tons at an average price of $168.38 per ton.
Inventories of premium/standard pellets fell to 169,626 tons in January, down from 185,800 tons in December. Inventories of utility pellets increased to 367,249 tons in January, up from 366,260 tons in December.
Data gathered by the EIA shows that total US densified biomass fuel capacity reached 13.08 million tons in January, 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.
US produced 790,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in January
