The photo is sourced from worldview.stratfor.com
Formally, the USA remains the major player in the global helium market accounting for 46% of total global helium supply, and in absolute numbers – for 79 mcm, including 60 mcm of helium recovered from natural gas and 19 mcm of helium supplies from Cliffside storage facility in Northern Texas. During the recent years, the volumes of helium shipped from this storage facility were decreasing: in 2013 the volume constituted 49 mcm, in 2018 – 26 mcm, and in 2023 – 19 mcm.
Qatar step by step filled the vacated niche and increased its helium production from 25 mcm in 2013 up to 45 mcm in 2018 and up to 66 mcm in 2023. There are three helium production sites in Qatar with cumulative throughput of 72.8 mcm per annum, which are operated by Qatargas. The first site (Helium-1) was commissioned in 2005, the second one (Helium-2) – вin 2013, and the third one (Helium-3) – in 2021. Above substituting for the terminated supplies from Cliffside storage facility, the newly installed capacities cover the growing demand for helium in healthcare, space aeronautics and microelectronics. In particular, helium is used for cooling the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, which abruptly came into demand during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for producing smartphones, the global sales of which grew by 40% in 2013–2023 (from 970 mln up to 1,340 mln pieces).
Eventually, after deducting the supplies from Cliffside storage facility, Qatar became the biggest helium producer in the world. Russia also has the potential to significantly increase the supplies during the next years with account of the fact that the helium capacities of Amur GPP (gas processing plant) are equivalent of one third of the current global supplies (60 mcm per annum). Utilisation of these capacities will provide for more efficient monetisation of gas reserves of Chayanda and Kovykta gas fields containing especially valuable components for gas-chemical industry. Besides helium, this gas contains ethane (one of the key types of feedstock for polymers), propane and butane (feedstock for liquified petroleum gases [LPG]), and pentane-hexane fraction used for producing motor gasoline.
According to USGS, in 2023 Russia produced 8 mcm with account of the capacities of Orenburg helium plant – the oldest helium production site in the country. The growth in Amur GPP capacities utilisation will allow Russia to outstrip Algeria, which was the last of the top three helium produces in 2023 (10 mcm).
