Critical raw material
EU mandate for 10% indigenous production; Poland is the only current producer. The British Geological Survey recommends critical mineral status in the UK.
Helium
Deemed a critical raw material by the EU, with an indigenous production mandate to meet 10% of demand. Often found with natural hydrogen.
Qatar10Resources bcm · Production mcm 66
US9Resources bcm · Production mcm 79
Other18Resources bcm · Production mcm 22
EU0.02Resources bcm · Production mcm 3
Irreplaceable
Medical imaging, semiconductors, fibre optics, space exploration, nuclear generation.
Scarce and unreliable
The US and Qatar supply 75%, followed by Russia. Shortages and price volatility recur.
Geological overlap
Helium accumulates under the same conditions as natural hydrogen and is recovered from the same wells.
The upside at Monzón
Over one billion dollars project value from hydrogen with one billion dollars upside from helium. Two per cent would be 10 bcf recoverable, 1.5 times annual global use.
Confirmed by appraisal
Helium will be confirmed by Monzón-2. It is not carried in the certified resource.
Why helium
Helium is irreplaceable. It has the lowest boiling point of any element, -268.9°C, it is extremely light, and it neither reacts with other elements nor burns. The modern high-tech economy depends on it.
MRI scanners
The superconducting magnets in MRI scanners must be kept bathed in liquid helium to stay cold enough to work. Medicine is one of the largest users of helium in the world.
Microchips
Helium gives the ultra-clean, controlled atmosphere in which silicon wafers are made for computer chips, smartphones and AI servers.
Quantum computing
Quantum computers run near absolute zero. Liquid helium is the only substance that reaches and holds those temperatures.
Rockets
Space agencies and private launch companies use helium to pressurise fuel tanks, forcing propellant into the engines without freezing or igniting.
Diving and science
Mixed with oxygen as heliox, helium lets deep-sea divers breathe without nitrogen narcosis. It also runs laboratory equipment such as mass spectrometers.
Leak testing
Helium atoms are small and mobile, so they find microscopic leaks in pressure systems, vacuum chambers and pipelines before they go into service.
Its strategic value and exposure to geopolitical supply shocks have made helium one of the most strategic commodities. Because helium is trapped in the same formations as natural hydrogen, Helios is as interested in helium as in hydrogen.
| Resources bcm | Production mcm | |
|---|---|---|
| Qatar | 10 | 66 |
| US | 9 | 79 |
| Other | 18 | 22 |
| EU | 0.02 | 3 |