That feels like a viable alternative since we can't make pellets.
I found hydrogen to be a good replacement for coal pellets. I put like 6 stacks in there and don't have to worry about it for a while. I'm still fairly early game though, I haven't automated inserting the hydrogen but I think it can be done. Carbon would also work, and has the same 200 burn time as the coal pellets, but hydrogen is basically free.