In Washington, according to data released Tuesday by the Census Bureau, U.S. ethanol exports for 2024 totaled 1.72 billion gallons just through November, already surpassing the previous annual record of 1.67 billion gallons set in 2018. With one month of data to go, exports were on pace to approach 1.9 billion gallons for the full 2024 calendar year, which would represent 12 percent of U.S. ethanol production, also a record.
Canada has been by far the top destination, accounting for over one-third of total shipments. Over 600 million gallons of ethanol were shipped to our North American neighbor through November, and shipments were on pace to be the largest ever to an individual destination in a single year. Other top destinations in 2024 included the United Kingdom, India, the European Union, and Colombia.
Canada, India, and the European Union were also among the top five destinations when the previous high-water mark for exports was reached in 2018. Notably, at that time Brazil was the top destination, whereas it did not even make the top 10 in 2024 due to the imposition of a punitive tariff.
Additionally, exports of distillers grains, a high-protein animal feed ingredient that is a coproduct of ethanol, are expected to hit 12 million metric tons on an annual basis for only the second time in history.
Tags: ethanol, Washington
Category: Fuels
