Unprecedented Helium Shortage Could Send Prices Sky-High
Worth 100x more than natural gas, the shale boom has taken on a new angle for exploration and production, with the critical level of helium supplies igniting a land rush that could determine the future of innovation itself.
The bulk of the world’s helium reserves are found in natural gas fields, which means that these fields now have double the potential–and double the interest from a national security perspective.
Non-renewable and irreplaceable, helium is a critical element in hard drives, supercomputing, scientific research, space travel, and even medical MRIs.
Supply is now at a critical level, and the Russian war on Ukraine is compounding the supply crunch, stripping us of more global helium resources as the natural gas it is extracted with is hurriedly shipped off to Europe to stave off a crisis without stripping and liquifying the helium.
For North America, which until recently enjoyed a stable supply of