US Biofuel Producers Increase in Oct As Profitability Improved,

Renewable diesel manufacturers usage at 77%, greatest because July – AEGIS

Biodiesel producers utilization rate struck 89% in Oct, highest because June 2023

Better credit rates, more powerful diesel need stimulated higher expert

NEW YORK, Jan 3 (Reuters) – U.S. eco-friendly diesel and biodiesel producers increase operations in October to multi-month highs, helped by stronger margins for the biofuels, according to information compiled by advisory group AEGIS Hedging.

Renewable diesel manufacturers made use of 77% of their overall operable capacity in October, the greatest since July 2024, the data revealed. Biodiesel plant utilization increased to 89%, the greatest since June 2023.

Rising usage rates and improving margins are a welcome relief for the biofuels market, after operators endured a rough start to 2024 as demand development slowed, leaving the marketplace oversupplied and forcing a variety of biodiesel plant closures.

Both sustainable diesel and biodiesel are more expensive to produce than diesel, making providers based on federal government rewards such as tax credits. Among the 2, eco-friendly diesel has become the favored fuel for suppliers, as it enjoys much better rewards and can substitute diesel completely.

Total biodiesel production capability fell 4.2% year-over-year to about 2 billion gallons in October, according to information launched by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Tuesday.

Renewable diesel output capacity increased nearly 19% year-over-year to 4.58 billion gallons in October, the EIA information revealed, as the majority of brand-new biofuel plants opened in the past three years were tailored towards it.

Still, oversupply pushed sustainable diesel output capacity 6% lower in October from a record 4.90 billion gallons in June.

In addition to plant closures, profitability for the industry in October was improved mainly by a surge in the value of credits needed for compliance with federal biofuel requireds, said Zander Capozzola, vice president of renewable fuels at AEGIS.

D4 Renewable Identification Numbers, issued for biodiesel and renewable diesel production, rose from a low of 56 cents each in September to over 71 cents in October, improving profitability for making the fuels, Capozzola stated.

Margins were also assisted by stronger demand for diesel, which struck an one-year high in October, raising costs for both the traditional fuel and its alternatives, he said.

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 best direction in October,” Capozzola stated. (Reporting by Shariq Khan in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)