Helium in 2023

In recent years, as the global supply of this important gas has decreased, the global shortage of helium has become a growing concern. Helium is a rare and valuable resource used in a variety of industries, including healthcare, electronics and aerospace. However, the supply of helium is limited because it is mainly extracted from natural gas reserves. Due to its unique characteristics (such as low boiling point), the demand for helium has also been increasing, which makes it an ideal choice for a range of applications.

supply and demand, coupled with the closure of helium plants, continues to prolong the ongoing helium shortage.4.0. In order to gain insight into the trends and challenges of the industry, the present and future of the helium business,LM IntelligasLuke Manickham,4He SolutionsRichard ClarkeandGulf Helium ServicesGeneral ManagerMazin Babikercarried outGlobal Helium Industryexperience sharing.

by virtue of the LNG(LNG)and helium industry,Manickhamelaborates on the current geopolitical situation of the global helium industry.

Manickhamsaid:"feel the helium shortage will continue2023was supposed to provide some breathing space for the helium world, but there were delays, and the unexpected war between Russia and Ukraine further exacerbated the helium supply shortage.,supply shortages are likely to widen2024yearand2025year."

But what about the challenge to reliably produce and export helium?

Manickhamrepresentationmust grasp the three keys of politics, procurement and personnel. The main challenge is to identify all three key priorities to reliably produce and export helium.

talked about the procurement of such a complex project, he emphasized the need to pay attention to key components for the continuous maintenance of the Amur River and Irkutsk projects. The war and the resulting sanctions have also led to insufficient procurement, and restrictive measures have not helped. Speaking of personnel, hesays:"a startup team should work closely together in one place at least12months before the target starts. Such coordination is needed to meet the filling obligations required to ensure that supplies are met."not be estimated due to the imprecise date of the end of the war.

the best we can hope for is a calculated estimate. Given the uncertainty of the war, consider additional1218month of surprises may be wise to reduce speculation and help the industry improve the accuracy of its helium supply forecasts while achieving a safe supply.

independent consultant and helium expert Richard·Clark(Richard Clarke)offered his insights on the current challenges facing the industry and how we can achieve a more orderly helium market.

as I 've heard, geopolitics is a big factor in the helium industry, it always has been, and probably always will be, and we're currently seeing the effects of war. Speaking of a single large producer, he said,"if one of them fails, then we will lose a lot of supply, which is very destructive to the market."to meet certain challenges, he said we should allow smaller"pure game"players enter, such as those from Africa who handle pure helium.

around.ISOcontainers also present other challenges. Although excellent in transportation, he said they did not have the ability to re-condense helium during transportation."also have investment problems, which create a loose shunting effect."in order to create a more orderly market, Clark suggested that there should be an international watchdog to try and coordinate all aspects of the helium industry.

future trends?

looking to the future,Clarkeindicates that starting leak learning will"is absolutely important"."In the future, the leakage rate of each new device or installed should be lower than its predecessor. It is recommended that the value be approximately per year3%."talked about nuclear fusion, and he predicted that it could be10years, and if the rollout starts after that, the fusion industry will have a lot of money. Now, based on one estimate, in our model we expect helium demand to grow every year6%.

Mazin Babikerfrom2018years. According to him, Qatar Gas produces nearly one of the world's helium production.40%, equivalent to each year26billion standard cubic feet(bscf). Other development projects includeNorth Field LNGthe expansion project, which will increase the country's production in two phases;NFC Eastexpansion project, expected to increase annually7700million tonsLNGproduction; the second phase is expected to be2027years and will increase capacity to reach annual1.26billion tons.

industry?

Covidof pandemic-induced restrictions and supply chain issues. The spread of containers around the world affects the supply chain, prolonging transit time and resulting in a high demand for in-tank cooling when arriving in high temperature conditions.

conferenceKornbluth Helium ConsultingPresidentPhil KornbluthIntroductionHelium Shortage 4.0.

Phil Kornbluthsaid:"this situation will continue,have to say that the severity of the shortage has lessened in recent months, and in the last quarter or so,BLM(Bureau of Land Management) has run well since last year--they're in6Month Restart--they have kept running most of the time since then."this benefited from an increase in the percentage of distribution in some specialties.

Kornbluthsaid."electronics demand is down, I think it's well known. The electronics industry is in a slump. This is one of the two largest applications. So that might help. And I would guess that with prices rising sharply the way they are now, there could be some disruption to demand so far."

, he added, things could go the other way again in the coming months because of warmer weather in the northern hemisphere and more planned maintenance shutdowns."BLMis planned in4month10days. I know that Exxon plans to start7month10day. This should last29days. So something new is coming that could move the supply-demand balance in the negative direction again. So I don't think the shortage is going to go away anytime soon."

But when can we expect this shortage to end?

"this mainly depends onAmurare up and running, not just how long they are up and running,”Kornbluthexplained."much depends on whether helium from Russia can reach the market, the logistics will be extremely difficult."he added that in the most optimistic scenario, the market could be in2023sees the contribution of Russian helium, which will help alleviate the shortage.

However, this could be threatened by direct sanctions on Russian exports of helium."if there is any point in what I just said, the key word is'uncertainty'. Now no one knows when the shortage will end, because there are too many unknowns about the flow of Russian helium in the Amur and on the market."