Source: US EPA EMTS, EIA data compiled graphically by Ron Kotrba, Biodiesel Magazine
April 3, 2017
BY Ron Kotrba
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its data on biodiesel production and import volumes for January. U.S. production of biodiesel in the first month of 2017 was 93 million gallons, according to EIA data collected through its monthly biodiesel production survey. This figure does not include domestic renewable diesel production.
Biodiesel production in January was down 51 million gallons from December, not atypical when comparing production for the last month of a year during which the $1-per-gallon biodiesel blenders tax credit is in effect to the first month of a year in which the incentive is lapsed.
Combined U.S. imports of biodiesel and renewable diesel in January totaled more than 21.5 million gallons, according to EIA data. This includes 10.12 million gallons of biodiesel from Argentina (nearly 6.1 million gallons) and Canada (more than 4 million gallons), and nearly 11.5 million gallons of Neste renewable diesel from Singapore. In December, biomass-based diesel imports broke records totaling more than 135 million gallons (112 million gallons of biodiesel and 23.4 million gallons of renewable diesel). Last year, U.S. imports of biomass-based diesel surpassed 915 million gallons.
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U.S. EPA’s EMTS production figures for January show nearly 126 million gallons of biomass-based diesel generating D4 RINs under the RFS program was manufactured domestically and abroad. When EIA’s combined production and import volumes for January, which total approximately 114.5 million gallons, is compared to EMTS figures, there is not much discrepancy between the two agencies’ data, considering EMTS data include renewable diesel produced from two plants in Louisiana and EIA domestic production data do not.
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