US waste biomass generating capacity set to grow through 2027
The US energy system is expected to see modest growth in waste biomass capacity through 2027, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration Short-Term Energy Outlook. Waste biomass power capacity in the US electric power sector is projected to rise slightly from 2.6 GW in 2025 to 2.7 GW in 2026 and 2.8 GW in 2027. Wood biomass capacity is expected to stay stable at about 2.1 GW, while industrial and commercial biomass capacity is also forecast to remain unchanged. Electricity generation from biomass is expected to decline slightly, from 20.5 billion kWh in 2025 to about 20 billion kWh in 2026 and a bit lower in 2027. This means biomass will continue to play a small and slowly shrinking role in the overall renewable energy mix. At the same time, its share of US renewable electricity is expected to fall below 2% as faster-growing sources like wind and solar expand much more quickly. Overall renewables are projected to supply about 26% of US electricity in 2026 and nearly 28% in 2027, compared with 24% in 2025. On the fuel side, waste biomass consumption is expected to remain nearly flat, while wood biomass use is projected to grow more noticeably, mainly driven by industrial demand rising to just over 2 quadrillion BTU by 2027.