EIA revises 2017, 2018 bioenergy, wood heating forecasts

The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the December edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, revising its 2017 and 2018 forecasts for bioenergy production and residential wood heating.

The EIA currently predicts wood biomass will be used to generate 117,000 MWh per day of electricity this year, falling to 114,000 MWh per day next year. Generation from waste biomass is expected to increase, from 57,000 MWh per day this year, to 60,000 MWh per day next year.

The electric power sector is expected to consume 0.274 quadrillion Btu (quad) of waste biomass this year, increasing to 0.287 quad next year. The sector is also expected to consume 0.24 quad of wood biomass this year, falling to 0.222 quad next year.

The industrial sector is expected to consume 0.18 quad of waste biomass this year, falling to 0.177 quad next year. Consumption of wood biomass is also expected to fall, from 1.281 quad this year to 1.218 quad next year.

The commercial sector is expected to consume 0.048 quad of waste biomass this year, falling to 0.047 quad next year. The sector is also expected to consume 0.079 quad of wood biomass in 2017, falling to 0.078 quad in 2018.

The residential sector is expected to consume 0.385 quad of wood biomass this year, increasing to 0.413 quad in 2018.

The EIA currently predicts 2.229 million U.S. households will use wood as a primary heating fuel during the 2017-’18 winter, down 1.7 percent when compared to last winter. This includes 388,000 households in the Northeast, down 12.1 percent; 553,000 households in the Midwest, down 2.3 percent; 569,000 households in the South, up 4.4 percent, and 718,000 households in the West, up 0.7 percent.