US imported nearly 40 percent more biodiesel than it exported in 2020

The U.S. imported nearly 197 million gallons of biodiesel in 2020 while exporting nearly 142 million gallons last year, according to data from the Energy Information Administration.

The majority of U.S. biodiesel imports in 2020 came from Canada, at 115.5 million gallons. More than 47 million gallons was shipped from Germany. South Korea exported nearly 25.5 million gallons to the U.S. in 2020, while another 8.36 million gallons originated in Spain. Japan shipped 126,000 gallons to the U.S. last year.

The U.S. exported more than 126 million gallons last year to Canada, by far the largest share of the U.S. biodiesel export market. More than 5.7 million gallons left the U.S. for Peru last year, while nearly 4.2 million gallons of U.S. biodiesel was shipped to the Netherlands. China received nearly 3.7 million gallons of U.S. biodiesel in 2020. Norway imported more than 1 million gallons of U.S. biodiesel last year while U.S. biodiesel shipments to Germany topped out at 378,000 gallons, South Korea 294,000 gallons, and Mexico 168,000 gallons.

U.S. imports of renewable diesel in 2020 from Neste’s Singapore plant were up nearly 22 million gallons from 2019, topping out at more than 279.6 million gallons last year. The EIA doesn’t track renewable diesel exports, but sources tell Biobased Diesel Daily that some volumes from at least one large U.S. renewable diesel producer crosses the northern border into Canada.