Imports of biomass-based diesel in the USA have increased for the second consecutive year, Hydrocarbon Engineering reported on 5 May from US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data.
US imports of biomass-based diesel, including biodiesel and renewable diesel, had increased by 12% in 2020 to more than 31,000 barrels/day, according to the EIA statistics.
This increase had been due to growing demand to meet government renewable fuel programmes, Hydrocarbon Engineering wrote.
US consumption of biomass-based diesel, unlike demand for other fuels, had remained relatively unaffected by the COVID-19 crisis, the report said.
Almost 60% of biomass-based diesel imports into the USA in 2020 were renewable diesel, which had come exclusively from Singapore since 2015, according to the report.
US renewable diesel imports had increased to a record level of more than 18,000 barrels/day, Hydrocarbon Engineering wrote.
Meanwhile, biodiesel imports had increased to more than 12,800 barrels/day in 2020 with imports from Canada accounting for 7,500 barrels/day.
US exports of biodiesel totalled 9,000 barrels/day in 2020, an increase of 29% from the previous year with Canada receiving around 90% of the total, Hydrocarbon Engineering said.
In its April 2021 Short-Term Energy Outlook, the EIA forecast that continued growth in renewable diesel imports would drive growth in total biomass-based diesel imports.
Biomass-based diesel imports were expected to increase by 43% this year and by 49% in 2022, the report said.
