EIA: Densified biomass fuel sales at 890,000 tons in May

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 870,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in May, with sales reaching 890,000 tons.

The data was released as part of the August edition of EIA’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report, which contains data for May. 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 May had a total combined production capacity of 13.27 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,455 full-time employees.

Respondents purchased 970,000 tons of raw biomass feedstock in May, produced 870,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 890,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 142,681 tons of heating pellets and 729,843 tons of utility pellets.

Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in May reached 133,483 tons at an average price of $205.29 per ton. Exports in May reached 759,046 tons at an average price of $181.61 per ton.

Inventories of premium/standard pellets increased to 300,511 tons in May, up from 297,115 tons in April. Inventories of utility pellets expanded to 393,803 tons in May, up from 352,165 tons in April.

Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 13.34 million tons in May, with all of that capacity listed as currently operating or temporarily not in operation. Capacity included 1.96 million tons in the East, 10.54 million tons in the South, and 842,200 tons in the West.