US ethanol production will average about 980,000 barrels per day both in 2016 and 2017, according to the June edition of the US Energy Information Administration's (EIA) short-term energy outlook.

The projection is unchanged from May. It is up from an average forecast output of between 970,000 bpd and 980,000 bpd this year and next in EIA's April report.

Last year ethanol production averaged almost 970,000 bpd.

The latest forecast takes into account the proposed renewable fuel quotas for 2017 that were announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in May.

Ethanol consumption is forecast to average about 930,000 bpd in both 2016 and 2017, which would be an increase from about 910,000 bpd in 2015. Overall, the US is expected to consume 1.179 and 1.177 quadrillion BTU (British thermal units) of ethanol in 2016 and 2017, respectively, compared to 1.107 and 1.147 in 2014 and 2015.

Biodiesel production is expected to reach 100,000 bpd in 2016 and 106,000 bpd in 2017, up from 82,000 bpd in 2015. EIA also expects an increase in net imports of biomass-based diesel to 41,000 bpd in 2016 and to 47,000 bpd in 2017 from 29,000 bpd in 2015.

Separate EIA data showed that ethanol production in the US averaged 1.006 million bpd in the week through June 3, close to the record of 1.008 million bpd registered in a week in November last year.

 

Source: http://renewables.seenews.com/news/us-eia-keeps-2016-2017-ethanol-production-forecast-528180