U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 980,000 tons of densified biomass fuels in October, according to the January edition of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report. Sales of densified biomass fuel reached 950,000 tons during the month.

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 October had a total combined production capacity of 12.6 million tons per year and collectively had the equivalent of 2,487 full-time employees.

Respondents purchased 1.7 million tons of raw biomass feedstock in October, produced 980,000 tons of densified biomass fuel and sold 950,000 tons of densified biomass fuel. Production included 185,593 tons of heating pellets and 797,247 tons of utility pellets.

Domestic sales of densified biomass fuel in October reached 220,832 tons at an average price of $228.75 per ton. Exports in October reached 730,557 tons at an average price of $188.83 per ton.

Inventories of premium/standard pellets fell to 202,668 tons in October, down from 229,446 tons in September. Inventories of utility pellets expanded to 452,484 tons in October, up from 390,386 tons in September.

Data gathered by the EIA shows that total U.S. densified biomass fuel capacity reached 12.69 million tons in October, 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.