Most U.S. fuel ethanol production capacity at the start of 2022 was in the Midwest

As of January 1, 2022, biofuel plant production capacity in the United States reached 21 billion gallons per year (gal/y) from 275 facilities. More than four-fifths of U.S. biofuel production capacity was for fuel ethanol.

Of the 13 states with the most fuel ethanol production capacity, 12 are located in the Midwest. The three states with the most production capacity—Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois—contain half of the nation’s total ethanol production capacity. As of January 1, 2022, U.S. fuel ethanol production capacity totaled 17.4 billion gal/y, as reported by 192 producers, a 0.2 billion gal/y decrease since the beginning of 2021.

Producers of another biofuel, biodiesel, operate 72 plants nationwide. In January 2022, U.S. biodiesel production capacity totaled 2.3 billion gal/y, a 0.2 billion gal/y decrease from January 2021. More than half of U.S. biodiesel production capacity is in the Midwest, primarily in Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. The remainder is mostly located on the Gulf and West Coasts.

In another, much smaller, category of biofuels production, 11 renewable fuel producers were operating in the United States as of January 1, 2022. The facilities produce renewable diesel fuel, renewable heating oil, renewable jet fuel, renewable naphtha, renewable gasoline, and other biofuels and bio intermediate products. Their combined production capacity totals 1.8 billion gal/y, more than double what it was at the beginning of 2021.

Fuel ethanol producers accounted for 81% of U.S. total biofuels production capacity, followed by biodiesel producers at 11%, and by renewable diesel fuel and other biofuels producers at 8%. On August 8, we released our three annual plant production capacity reports: 2022 Fuel Ethanol Production Capacity, 2022 Biodiesel Plant Production Capacity, and 2022 Renewable Diesel Fuel and Other Biofuels Plant Production Capacity. Respondents report biofuels production capacity data in these publications. The three annual reports contain our most up-to-date estimates of the plant production capacity for the U.S. biofuels industry. The reports include biofuels production capacity for operating plants as of January 1, 2022. The names of the reporting plants are organized by state and region.

Principal contributor: Julie Harris