North American Helium Comments on Recent Supply Disruptions from Qatar and the Need for Diversified, Secure Helium Sources

Article content

CALGARY, Alberta — North American Helium Inc. (“NAH” or the “Company”) today addressed ongoing global helium supply disruptions stemming from production being offline in Qatar, underscoring the structural vulnerabilities in the helium market and the importance of reliable, geopolitically secure sources.

Article content

Recent events have interrupted operations at major facilities in Qatar, a significant global supplier. Industry observers note that this situation raises the prospect of widespread shortages, potentially marking the fifth global helium shortage in the past 20 years. These recurring challenges highlight the risks associated with concentrated production, particularly from large projects linked to hydrocarbon operations in geopolitically sensitive regions.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Nicholas Snyder, Chairman and CEO, stated: “We think this is a wake-up call. As helium’s importance grows for semiconductor manufacturing, space exploration, and other vital national security priorities around the globe, the industry needs to reevaluate the dependence and concentration of supply in just a few large projects. Only a gradual diversification of the supply chain, a shift back to more geopolitically stable regions, and a rebuilding of deliverable storage around the globe can bring stability to supplies of this vital element.”

Article content

Article content

North American Helium was founded in 2013 on the belief that vital industries dependent on reliable helium supply require new sources that are both dependable and geopolitically secure. The Company produces helium from non-hydrocarbon-linked nitrogen reservoirs through smaller-scale, modular facilities. This approach provides greater supply-chain flexibility compared with traditional large-scale hydrocarbon co-production models.

Article content

Helium is most efficiently transported in liquid form, which must be maintained at approximately –269 degrees Celsius. This makes the substance effectively perishable during transit, as even minor warming can cause boil-off and venting. Large-scale onsite storage near end-markets is therefore often prohibitive, placing heavy reliance on the sophisticated logistics networks operated by major industrial gas companies. While these distributors perform an excellent job with specialized container fleets, the root cause of recurring shortages has consistently been the concentration of upstream supply rather than distribution capabilities.

Article content

Without readily available, deliverable helium storage infrastructure near all important end-markets, diversifying production sources remains one of the most effective strategies for securing supply chains and avoiding large exposure to any single project or region.

Article content

North American Helium is advancing its development plans and working to bring additional production online this year to better serve its customers and contribute to greater overall market stability. The company is also working to develop Canada’s first helium liquefier, creating additional supply chain resiliency and reliability for this critical mineral.

Article content

NAH has invested in a fleet of liquid helium ISO containers in order to better serve it’s customers and to provide resilience during disruptions to regular supply chains. For information on the availability of helium supply contact [email protected].

Article content

Article content

ABOUT NORTH AMERICAN HELIUM INC.

Article content

Founded in 2013, North American Helium (NAH) is the largest producer and leading company focused on exploration and production of helium from underground fields of inert nitrogen. The Company’s mission is to grow its reliable and geopolitically secure non-hydrocarbon-based helium supply to replace declining supplies of helium in North America that currently come from legacy hydrocarbon projects and a diminishing Cold War-era stockpile.

Article content

The Company has multiple producing facilities on its contiguous land position of over nine million acres in southwest Saskatchewan, Canada, including Canada’s largest facility (Battle Creek), selling gaseous and liquid helium on long-term contracts to some of the largest global industrial gas companies.

Article content

NAH has discovered numerous new helium fields in Saskatchewan, and also has exploration assets in Alberta, Utah, Arizona, and Montana. The Company is working to rapidly grow its production to meet increasing helium demand from semiconductor manufacturing, space exploration, and emerging applications like small modular reactors (SMR) and nuclear fusion. For more information please visit: https://nahelium.com.

Article content

ABOUT HELIUM

Article content

Helium is an inert gas produced by the decay of uranium and thorium that can be trapped in underground reservoirs proximal to the source. Its unique physical properties make it vital for several high technology applications where there is often no substitute. Helium’s low boiling point and non-reactive nature make it vital for the pressurization and purging of liquid fuels in rockets for space exploration and satellite infrastructure. Helium is also required for semiconductor and fiber optic cable manufacturing, MRI machines and certain welding applications due to its high heat capacity. A well-known but minor use is as a lifting gas in balloons and airships.

Article content

FOLLOW US:

Article content

Twitter: @NAHelium | LinkedIn: LinkThis press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdictions in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Any offering made will be pursuant to available prospectus exemptions and restricted to persons to whom the securities may be sold in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions, and by persons permitted to sell the securities in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions.Legal Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are indicated expectations or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding helium supply and demand, our plans to bring plants online, drill wells and other exploration activity (including statements regarding the size and timing of our drilling and exploration programs), operating and development plans, our potential for growth including production growth and inventory, our plans for our intended production facilities and production levels, our plans for the sale of produced helium, our plans to grow and develop our land position and our plans to acquire certain assets including ISO containers. Factors that could cause actual results to be materially different include but are not limited to the following: changes to our operating, development, production and sales plans, changes to sales contracts, determination by the management or board of NAH to use our revenue or other funds for other purposes than as stated, changes to helium supply and demand, both globally and in North America (including North America becoming a net helium importer). Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. It is not our policy to update forward looking statements.

Article content

Article content

Article content

View source version on businesswire.com:

Article content

Article content

Article content

Contacts

Article content

FOR INVESTOR AND MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Article content

Article content

Brad Borggard, Chief Financial Officer

Article content

Article content

North American Helium Inc.

Article content

Clayton Paradis, Vice President
Incite Capital Markets

Article content

Article content