In this comprehensive article, we will discuss countries with the biggest helium reserves and their current production capacity, as some nations aren’t capable of exploiting their reserves as of now. We will also understand the usage of helium gas in crucial industries like medicine, space, technology, and telecommunication, among others. If you want to know the key names in the global helium industry, read Helium Reserves By Country And 5 Biggest Helium Manufacturers.
Helium reserves by country and biggest helium manufacturers represent a micro-niche in mining, mainly owned by the United States, Qatar, and Algeria. Such diversity in helium reserves by country stems from helium’s production and refining process. Despite being the second most abundant element in the Universe, helium remains a rare element in the mining industry due to its pressure requirements. Helium is separated from natural gas by liquefying its components at low temperatures and high pressure because otherwise, it escapes the Earth’s crust and gets released into space.
Studies say that until now, the discovery of helium deposits has never been intentional, as it is mostly located during oil and natural gas extraction. It is also a by-product of uranium and thorium decay and co-exists with other gases in the crust. Owing to its rarity, there are a few pure-play helium gas mining companies working at a grand scale.
One of these biggest helium manufacturers is Pennsylvania-based Air Products and Chemicals Inc (NYSE:APD), which offers liquid and compressed helium of various purity levels. Since Air Products and Chemicals Inc (NYSE:APD) has a broad network of storage and transfer facilities, the company is able to work across the world. Air Products and Chemicals Inc (NYSE:APD) ‘s main product line includes atmospheric gases, helium being one of them, and their related equipment, i.e., liquefying cabinets. It is one of the largest helium producing companies and has a current market cap of $64.116 billion.
Another noteworthy name amongst helium gas mining companies is Ireland-based Linde Plc (NYSE:LIN), a natural gas and engineering company with a current market cap of $179.604 billion. Linde Plc (NYSE:LIN) provides high-grade helium of up to 99% purity through its proven extraction technology. Linde Plc (NYSE:LIN) operates one of the largest helium plants in Ulysses (Ireland), Kansas, and Qatar.
Likewise, Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) mines natural gas, a source of helium. Being one of the largest helium companies, it operates the LaBarge facility in Wyoming. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is responsible for providing 20% share in global helium production and has over 80 years of helium supply remaining. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is also the largest liquid helium producer and boasts a current market cap of $433.674 billion at the time of writing this article.
If you want to include Earth’s valuable resources in your investment portfolio, we have already covered the 10 Best Natural Gas Stocks to Buy Now; give them a read to make smart decisions.
Which Country Produces the Most Helium In The World?
The United States was at the forefront of helium production by country in 2022. As of 2022, the country’s annual helium production totaled 75 million cubic meters, equating to approximately 46% of the global helium output. The total worldwide production of helium in 2022, standing at around 160 million cubic meters, indicated a substantial contribution by the United States.
The vast reserves of natural gas in Texas and Oklahoma are abundant with helium, and their extraction processes have made the United States the largest helium producing country in the world. Also, strategic helium storage and distribution facilities, such as the Federal Helium Reserve in Amarillo, Texas, enhance the country’s capacity to maintain its position as the largest helium producing country in the world.
However, after continuous helium exploitation in the U.S. since the early 1910s, its status amongst helium reserves by country has switched places with Qatar.
Which Sector is the Largest Consumer Of Helium?
The global helium market is set to reach $5.03 billion this year because of its broad spectrum usage. While most think helium is used mainly in party balloons, NASA is the single biggest buyer of helium. Annually, NASA consumes approximately 75 million cubic feet of helium, primarily used in rocket propulsion.
Helium’s low boiling point, low density, and the fact that it doesn’t become radioactive make it an invaluable commodity for NASA. Its principal application lies in cooling liquid hydrogen and oxygen, used extensively as rocket fuel. As these fuels must be kept at incredibly low temperatures to remain liquid, this task is achieved with helium’s superior cooling capabilities. Additionally, gaseous helium is also used to pressurize the fuel tanks of liquid-fueled rockets, ensuring the fuel is pushed toward the engines in zero-gravity conditions.
Which Country Has The Largest Reserve Of Helium In The World?
Qatar currently has the world’s largest helium reserves, standing at 10 billion cubic meters. However, the reserve scale does not directly correlate with extraction activity or production level. Because despite its vast reserves, Qatar has yet to fully capitalize on its helium mining potential. The United States had the highest helium production by country in 2022; it has comparatively fewer helium reserves than Qatar.
This status quo between the largest helium producing country in the world and the highest helium production by country in 2022 reflects the dynamics that underlie the global helium market, where factors like technological capabilities, economic viability, political stability, and market demand determine actual production levels.
What Is Helium Used For?
According to data from 2022, the United States exhibited a substantial demand for Grade-A helium, with the estimated consumption totaling 43 million cubic meters, or equivalently 1.5 billion cubic feet.
According to USGS, helium consumption was dominated, in order of decreasing volume, by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), lifting gas, analytical and laboratory applications, electronics, and semiconductor manufacturing, among others.
MRI is reliant on superconducting magnets, which need to be cooled to extremely low temperatures using liquid helium, hence, making helium indispensable in this sector.
Our Methodology
We ranked helium reserves by country and 9 biggest helium manufacturers according to the countries’ recorded helium deposits. Our primary source for this study was USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries from 2023, 2022, and 2021. However, being a micro-niche in mining means the helium sector is still rapidly growing, and there are only a handful of countries extracting it. As helium is often discovered and extracted as a by-product of natural gas, many countries haven’t established their records of helium reserves. Therefore, even after coming across some countries’ private sources claiming the discovery of massive helium deposits, we cross-referenced these claims with the said countries’ official records of helium mining output over the years.
Based on our findings, here are the top helium reserves by country and 9 biggest helium manufacturers:
9. South Africa
Claimed But Not Proven Helium Reserves: 920 million cubic meters
Our list of helium reserves by country and biggest helium manufacturers starts with South Africa because of the country’s 1 million cubic meters of helium production in 2022. Interestingly, the country is claimed to have one of the largest helium reserves in the world.
South African renewable energy corporation Renergen Limited secured gas rights spanning 87,000 hectares within the Free State province in 2012. The initial gas tests run on the field illustrated helium concentrations between two and four percent, an astonishingly high figure in the context of global helium production. In comparison, U.S. helium producers commonly extract the gas from fields with concentrations as low as 0.3 percent.
These preliminary results indicate that the Free State province could be one of the world’s richest helium sources in the world. What makes this discovery remarkable is the potential volume of the helium reserves, which the company estimates at 9.74 billion cubic meters. This estimate, if accurate, would surpass the known helium reserves in the United States. However, more conservative estimates place the reserve at a minimum of 920 million cubic meters.
Considering the depleting global helium reserves, this could fundamentally shift the dynamics of helium production worldwide. However, these claims are yet to receive any official stamp, so South Africa currently falls 9th on the list of helium reserves by country and biggest helium manufacturers.
8. Poland
Helium Reserves: 24 million cubic meters
Poland’s helium reserves are 24 million cubic meters as of 2022. But while these resources exist in abundance, the country’s capacity to extract and process helium gas remains more limited. Poland’s recent average helium production stands at 1 million cubic meters.
7. China
Helium Reserves: 1.1 billion cubic meters
China has considerable helium reserves, amounting to 1.1 billion cubic meters. Despite this, China’s annual helium output amounts to just 1 million cubic meters, a stark disparity compared to its vast reserves. This shortfall cannot be attributed to resource scarcity; rather, it is predominantly a result of demand constraints, as China is one of the most advanced nations in mining. However, the fact that helium is a by-product and doesn’t have a massive global market as of current might be pushing China behind in this sector.
6. Canada
Helium Reserves: 2 billion cubic meters
Canada boasts 2 billion cubic meters of helium reserves, which shows the nation’s potential to contribute to the global helium market. In 2022 alone, the country produced about 2 million cubic meters of helium. A particular area of interest within Canada’s helium landscape is Saskatchewan. The province is rich in uranium reserves, and these same geological conditions render it an abundant source of helium. The relationship between uranium and helium is a fascinating one. As uranium decays naturally over time, it releases helium. Therefore, areas with high concentrations of uranium, like Saskatchewan, are invariably associated with large helium reserves. The Saskatchewan government, recognizing the province’s helium potential, has approved an increase in exploration and production of this valuable resource. Also, the strategic aim is to account for approximately 10% of the world’s helium supply by 2030.
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Disclosure: None. Helium Reserves By Country and Biggest Helium Manufacturers is originally published on Insider Monkey.