# Helium: Extraction

How a gas born of radioactive decay is skimmed from natural gas

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/extraction/

What this tab covers How it is mined, drilled or grown, and processed into a tradeable form: the main methods compared, their unit economics, by-products, and the companies that do this work globally and in India.

Helium forms from radioactive decay of uranium and thorium in rock and collects in some natural-gas reservoirs. It is almost always a by-product of gas processing. Plants chill the gas to separate a crude stream of 60% to 80% helium, then purify it to Grade-A, at least 99.997%. Most is then liquefied for transport. In 2025 the United States had nine crude helium plants and five Grade-A plants. Some new deposits are not linked to hydrocarbons, which could loosen helium's dependence on gas economics.

Helium is not mined. It is separated from natural gas that happens to contain it, usually at a few tenths of a percent to a few percent. So supply depends on where gas is processed and on whether the operator chooses to install a helium unit. Three routes matter: recovery from LNG plants (Qatar, Algeria), recovery from helium-rich conventional gas (US, Russia's Amur plant), and newer wells drilled for helium itself, often in nitrogen- or CO2-rich gas with little methane. A tiny amount of helium-3 is made from tritium decay.

#### Methods compared

| Method | Share of supply | Typical scale | Recovery / efficiency | By-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **By-product of LNG production (Qatar, Algeria)** | Qatar 63 and Algeria 11 of 190 million m3 world output in 2025, about 39% (USGS MCS 2026) | Qatar's next LNG-linked helium plant, due about 2027, could add up to 42 million m3 a year (Physics Today 2023) | n/a | Helium is itself the by-product; main product is LNG | n/a |
| **Recovery from helium-rich natural gas processing (US, Russia, Canada)** | US 81, Russia 18 and Canada 6 of 190 million m3 in 2025 (USGS); Shute Creek about 20% of world supply (Physics Today 2023) | Amur could add 21-42 million m3 a year at full ramp-up, but has been held back by a 2021 fire and sanctions (Physics Today 2023) | n/a | Methane, natural gas liquids, CO2 | n/a |
| **Dedicated helium wells, including non-hydrocarbon gas** | small; included in US, Canada and South Africa totals (South Africa under 0.5 million m3 in 2025, USGS) | Blue Spruce Minerals targets 22 million m3 a year next to Shute Creek by 2028 (Physics Today 2023); South Africa reserves 400 million m3 (USGS) | n/a | Nitrogen, CO2, sometimes small methane volumes | n/a |
| **Helium-3 from tritium decay** | about 40,000 litres a year worldwide in 2024-25 (USGS) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |

#### How each method works
**By-product of LNG production (Qatar, Algeria)**

Helium concentrates in the end flash gas of LNG liquefaction trains. A helium recovery unit takes this stream, separates crude helium cryogenically and purifies and liquefies it on site. Volume grows only when LNG trains are added, so helium supply follows LNG investment decisions, not helium prices.

Huge low-cost volumes at the margin of LNG; supply is lumpy and outside helium buyers' control.
 USGS MCS 2026; Physics Today, Sept 2023 **Recovery from helium-rich natural gas processing (US, Russia, Canada)**

Gas from fields with roughly 0.5% helium or more is processed, CO2 and methane removed, and crude helium separated cryogenically. In the US it may be piped to storage or refined to Grade-A. ExxonMobil's Shute Creek plant in Wyoming is the largest single US source. Gazprom's Amur plant in Russia was built to be one of the world's largest.

Long-life fields with proven helium content; output depends on gas economics and single-plant outages.
 USGS MCS 2026; Physics Today, Sept 2023; BLM 2012 **Dedicated helium wells, including non-hydrocarbon gas**

Explorers drill for gas rich in helium with nitrogen or CO2 rather than methane, then process it in small modular plants. Six new US operations started in 2025 (New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Montana), plus new plants in Canada and South Africa (USGS).

Supply that responds to helium prices; small, unproven reservoirs and project risk.
 USGS MCS 2026; Physics Today, Sept 2023 **Helium-3 from tritium decay**

Helium-3, a rare isotope, accumulates as tritium decays in nuclear weapons and reactor programmes and is collected at a few sites, such as one in South Carolina.

Essential for neutron detectors, research and quantum computing cooling; supply is fixed by nuclear programmes.
 USGS MCS 2026 Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs vary widely by deposit, region and year.

#### By-product supply

Almost all helium is a by-product of natural gas or LNG. Qatar, the US, Russia and Algeria made about 91% of the 190 million m3 produced in 2025 (USGS). Because the host product (gas) is worth far more, operators add or skip helium units based on gas plans, so supply barely responds to helium prices in the short run. Dedicated helium wells are the first source that does respond.

#### Who does it: global

| Company | Country | Activity | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **QatarEnergy (Ras Laffan LNG helium plants)** Company volume not published; national output shown. | Qatar | helium recovery from LNG | 63 million m3 (Qatar national output) | 2025 | [USGS MCS 2026 (country total; company figure not published)](https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/helium-statistics-and-information) |
| **ExxonMobil (Shute Creek, LaBarge field)** Volume not published; share estimate only. | US | helium recovery from gas processing | not published | 2023 | [Physics Today, Sept 2023: about 20% of global supply](https://physicstoday.aip.org/news/helium-prices-surge-to-record-levels-as-shortage-continues) |
| **Gazprom (Amur gas processing plant)** Company volume not published; Russian helium is under EU and US import bans. | Russia | helium recovery from gas processing | 18 million m3 (Russia national output) | 2025 | [USGS MCS 2026; Amur potential 21-42 million m3/yr (Physics Today 2023)](https://physicstoday.aip.org/news/helium-prices-surge-to-record-levels-as-shortage-continues) |
| **Sonatrach (Algerian LNG helium plants)** Company volume not published; national output shown. | Algeria | helium recovery from LNG | 11 million m3 (Algeria national output) | 2025 | [USGS MCS 2026](https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/helium-statistics-and-information) |
| **Messer Americas** Helium volumes not published. | US / Germany | storage, pipeline and distribution; bought the US Federal Helium System | not published | 2024 | [E&E News, Dec 2024: purchase for $460 million](https://eenews.net/articles/blm-completes-460m-sale-of-federal-helium-reserve-to-private-company) |
| **Blue Spruce Minerals (project)** Planned capacity, not output. | US | planned helium plant, Wyoming | 22 million m3/yr target capacity | 2028 target | [Physics Today, Sept 2023](https://physicstoday.aip.org/news/helium-prices-surge-to-record-levels-as-shortage-continues) |

#### Who does it: India

India has no helium production listed by USGS (2026) and imports all its helium, mostly as liquid in ISO containers, through industrial gas distributors. It is not among the top six importers by value (Comtrade 2024) and helium is not on India's 2023 critical minerals list.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/correlation/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/helium/links/index.md)