The EIA collected data from 76 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 76 manufacturers surveyed for July had a total combined production capacity of 12.6 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,481 full-time employees.
Respondents purchased 1.48 million metric tons of raw biomass feedstock in July, produced 870,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 750,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 141,888 tons of heating pellets and 733,794 tons of utility pellets.
Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in July reached 113,792 tons at an average price of $216.77 per ton. Exports in July reached 639,345 tons at an average price of $182.28 per ton.
Inventories of premium/standard pellets reached 264,517 tons in July, up from 232,284 tons in June. Inventories of utility pellets expand to 461,956 tons in July, up from 435,970 tons in June.
Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 12.69 million tons in July, with all of that capacity listed as currently operating or temporarily not in operation. Capacity included 1.81 million tons in the East, 10.25 million tons in the South, and 632,450 tons in the West.
