Renewable diesel manufacturers usage at 77%, greatest since July - AEGIS
Biodiesel manufacturers usage rate hit 89% in Oct, highest considering that June 2023
Better credit prices, stronger diesel demand spurred greater activity - analyst
NEW YORK, Jan 3 (Reuters) - U.S. sustainable diesel and biodiesel producers increase operations in October to multi-month highs, helped by more powerful margins for the biofuels, according to data compiled by advisory group AEGIS Hedging.
Renewable diesel manufacturers made use of 77% of their total operable capacity in October, the greatest since July 2024, the data showed. Biodiesel plant utilization increased to 89%, the highest because June 2023.
Rising utilization rates and enhancing margins are a welcome relief for the biofuels industry, after operators endured a rough start to 2024 as demand growth slowed, leaving the market oversupplied and forcing a of biodiesel plant closures.
Both renewable diesel and biodiesel are more expensive to produce than diesel, making suppliers depending on federal government incentives such as tax credits. Among the 2, renewable diesel has actually emerged as the preferred fuel for providers, as it enjoys better incentives and can substitute diesel completely.
Total biodiesel production capacity fell 4.2% year-over-year to about 2 billion gallons in October, according to information released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Tuesday.
Renewable diesel output capacity increased almost 19% year-over-year to 4.58 billion gallons in October, the EIA information revealed, as most brand-new biofuel plants opened in the previous three years were tailored towards it.
Still, oversupply pressed sustainable diesel output capacity 6% lower in October from a record 4.90 billion gallons in June.
In addition to plant closures, success for the industry in October was boosted primarily by a surge in the value of credits needed for compliance with federal biofuel mandates, said Zander Capozzola, vice president of sustainable fuels at AEGIS.
D4 Renewable Identification Numbers, released for biodiesel and renewable diesel production, rose from a low of 56 cents each in September to over 71 cents in October, enhancing success for making the fuels, Capozzola stated.
Margins were also helped by stronger demand for diesel, which hit a 1 year high in October, raising prices for both the conventional fuel and its options, he stated.
Prices for credits under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard program of California, where most biofuels are consumed in the U.S., also rose from below 60 cents each in Sept to over 70 cents each in October, according to AEGIS.
"You really had whatever rowing in the ideal direction in October," Capozzola stated. (Reporting by Shariq Khan in New York
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US Biofuel Producers Increase in Oct As Profitability Improved,
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