The objective of this paper is to analyze the energy use profile of the babassu (Orbignya ssp-Palmae) oil extraction industry in Brazil in order to establish the basis for a cogeneration study of this important part of the Brazilian Northeast region economy, which is still ignored by energetic biomass studies. The work used information from new equipment suppliers that was analyzed against field information from operating units. The data was used to establish a basis for the thermal and mechanical energy consumption for the two main basic unit profiles for the sector: a simple one with just oil extraction and the other, more vertically integrated with other secondary by-products. For the energetic demand taken from the only oil extraction unit profile study, the minimum pressure for the steam process was estimated at 1.4 MPa, electric demand at 5.79 kW/ton of processed kernel and heat consumption at 2071 MJ/ton of processed kernel (829 kg steam/ton of processed kernel). For the vertically integrated unit profile, the following values were found: minimum pressure for the steam process 1.4 MPa, electric demand 6.22 kW/ton of processed kernel and heat consumption 21,503 MJ/ton of processed kernel (7600 kg steam/ton of processed kernel). (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.