Market Report Pellet Exports Break Record Shipments across North America are up as U.S. South ties B.C. Interior as global supplier. By Hakan Ekstrom P ELLET exports from North America to Europe reached a new re-cord high in the fourth quarter of 2011. Shipments have increased practically every quarter for four years, up from 130,000 tons in the 1Q/08 to almost 600,000 ton in the 4Q/11, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review (NAWFR). Export data collected by NAWFR (www.woodprices.com) from exporters and customs information in both North America and Europe show that wood pellet shipments reached just over two million tons in 2011, up almost 300% from 2008. Pellet producers in British Columbia have been the major exporters since the first shipments 12 years ago, but this changed in the second half of 2011, when expanded investments in capacity in the US South put US shipments on par with Canada. Six pellet export plants, widely vary-ing in capacity, are now operating in the U.S. South. Four others have shipped trial shipments the past six months and six additional export-oriented pellet plants have been announced, making it highly likely that there will be significant export growth over the next 24 months. In Eastern Canada, exports in the 4Q/11 remained unchanged from the previous quarter, when volumes declined primarily due to the closure of the Enligna pellet plant in Nova Scotia. However, there are plans to re-start the idled plant later this year by a new owner. In 2012, small increases in volumes KAHL Wood Pelleting Plants Quality worldwide. AMANDUS KAHL GmbH & Co. KG, SARJ Equipment Corp., Mr. Rick B. MacArthur, 29 Golfview Blvd., Bradford, Ontario L3Z 2A6 Phone: 001-905-778-0073, Fax: 001-905-778-9613, [email protected] www.akahl.de 30 Canadian BIOMASS MAY/JUNE 2012
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