Review of 2021 Japan Biomass Pellet Import

Japan imported about 3 million tons of wood pellets in 2021, up from 2.028 million tons in 2020, according to data from a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service Global Agricultural Information Network at the end of December 2021.

According to reports, data released by Japan’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) showed that by the end of March 2021, 201 woody biomass power plants in Japan had generated about 2,888 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

In 2020, Japan imported about 2.02 million tons of wood pellets. About 58% of them were from Vietnam and 29% from Canada. According to reports, Enviva (the world's largest producer of industrial wood pellets) plans to export more than 3 million tons of wood pellets annually to Japan by 2025.

Japan currently has 135 domestic wood pellet producers, down from 137 in 2020. Domestic production is forecast at 150,000 metric tons in 2021, up slightly from 149,000 metric tons in 2020.

In addition to wood pellets, Japan imported about 4.02 million tonnes of palm kernel shell (EFB) for power generation in 2021, up from 3.396 million tonnes in 2020.