U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 950,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in July, according to the latest edition of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report. Sales of densified biomass fuel reached 970,000 tons during the month.
The EIA collected data from 75 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, which report data annually rather than monthly.
The 75 manufacturers surveyed for July had a total combined production capacity of 13.04 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,437 full-time employees.
Respondents purchased 1.8 million tons of raw biomass feedstock in July, produced 950,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 970,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 122,033 tons of heating pellets and 832,421 tons of utility pellets.
Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in July reached 93,523 tons at an average price of $225.42 per ton. Exports in July reached 880,965 tons at an average price of $205.83 per ton.
Inventories of utility pellets fell to 504,547 tons in July, down from 631,803 tons in June. Inventories of premium/standard wood pellets expanded to 336,789 tons in July, up from 315,191 tons in June.
Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 13.43 million tons in July, with all of that capacity listed as currently operating or temporarily not in operation. Capacity included 1.97 million tons in the East, 10.67 million tons in the South, and 797,700 tons in the West.
