**Preface**

As the saying goes, "The uneven distribution of resources is the nature of things!" The distribution of helium gas around the world has never been balanced, and it is even more so...

The United States possesses the largest reserves of helium gas, while China has to face the embarrassing situation of relying on imports for 95% of its needs.

Helium gas, which appears colorless, odorless, and insignificant, plays an irreplaceable role in many key areas and can be regarded as the "catalyst" for the development of modern science and technology.

However, China's high dependence on helium gas imports undoubtedly brings many hidden dangers to the country's development. So, how can our country break the helium dilemma?

**95% of China's Helium Gas Depends on Imports**

Due to the scarcity of domestic helium gas resources, high extraction costs, and limited economic value, the import dependence for industrial helium gas is as high as more than 95%. China's helium gas demand accounts for 11% of the global helium gas consumption, and the growth rate is rapid.

The main import sources of helium gas for China include Qatar, the United States, and Australia, among which Qatar has replaced the United States as China's largest source of helium gas imports in recent years.

Nevertheless, China is accelerating the development of the helium gas industry and technological breakthroughs to increase helium gas production capacity and self-sufficiency.

In 2022, China's demand for helium gas was approximately 24.141 million cubic meters, a year-on-year increase of 10.03%; the total demand for helium gas in China in 2021 was 20.86 million cubic meters.From 2021 to 2023, China's helium demand increased from 21.18 million cubic meters to 26.18 million cubic meters, with a compound annual growth rate of 11.18%.

It is projected that between 2021 and 2025, China's helium consumption will continue to grow rapidly, and at an average annual growth rate of 5%, the consumption volume will reach 250,000×10^4 cubic meters by 2025.

Affected by the increasing demand in downstream industries such as optical fibers, electronics, and medical nuclear magnetic imaging, China's helium demand will continue to grow rapidly in the coming years.

Qatar is the world's largest exporter of helium and also the second-largest producer, with its helium production accounting for 30% of the global helium demand.

In recent years, due to tense China-U.S. relations, the U.S. has restricted helium exports to China, leading China to turn to Qatar for helium imports. Currently, Qatar is the largest source of helium imports for China, accounting for more than 80%.

However, since all the technology and equipment for Qatar's helium production come from the U.S., this also sows the seeds for potential "chokehold" restrictions that the U.S. might impose on China.

The U.S. was once the world's largest exporter of helium or the region with the most helium exports, but since the 2010s, the U.S. has contracted its helium export strategy, retaining more domestic reserves to ensure domestic supply.

In 2021, Mainland China imported 346.1 tons of helium from the U.S., accounting for 9% of China's total imports.

Nevertheless, the U.S. remains one of the top ten producers of high-purity industrial helium globally, holding a significant market share.

【The U.S. has the largest reserves】The United States indeed holds a significant position globally in terms of helium reserves, accounting for approximately 40% of the total global amount.

According to ITBEAR, the global helium reserves amount to 51.9 billion cubic meters, with the United States leading the way with 20.6 billion cubic meters, capturing 40% of the market.

Meanwhile, Mainland China's helium reserves are around 1.182 billion cubic meters, representing 2% of the global share...

The United States discovered helium-rich natural gas in 1903, thereby securing a dominant position in the global helium market. During this period, the U.S. also produced helium by separating and purifying helium-rich natural gas, primarily using cryogenic methods for helium purification.

Since 1961, the United States has estimated helium reserves in gas fields with samples containing more than 0.3% helium. Before the implementation of the Crude Helium Acquisition Program, many gas fields were used for fuel production, resulting in an annual loss of about 800 million cubic feet of helium.

Under this program, from 1963 to 1973, the United States saved approximately 3.5 billion cubic feet of helium annually.

In recent years, although the United States is the world's largest producer and net exporter of helium, its helium production and reserves have shown a declining trend, with an estimated significant consumption of 430,000 cubic meters of domestic Grade-A helium in 2022.

Around 2018, the U.S. helium inventory was depleted, causing international helium prices to soar, and the prices today are more than four times what they were before.

This indicates that the U.S. helium inventory once faced the risk of exhaustion, thereby affecting the supply and demand balance of the global helium market.

Helium plays an important role as a pressurant and propellant in rocket liquid fuels and is extensively used in missiles, spacecraft, and supersonic aircraft.In the cooling of superconducting magnets in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, helium gas is equally crucial, with a single MRI machine consuming approximately 700 liters of helium annually. Helium is also widely used in military, scientific research, and other fields due to its chemical inertness, making it suitable for welding, leak detection, and the manufacturing of superconducting materials.

【How can China break the deadlock?】

In the initial phase, to address the issue of high dependence on imported helium, China actively explored a strategy of "diversified country imports." China imported helium resources from countries such as Qatar and Australia, with helium imports from Qatar once accounting for 61% of the total.

However, despite the expansion of import channels, China quickly realized that this approach had technical limitations. Qatar's helium extraction technology largely relied on the United States, which still posed potential risks to China's helium supply. If the U.S. intervened on the technological front, China's helium imports could still be severely affected. Therefore, relying solely on "diversified country imports" was not a long-term solution, and China had to seek more stable and reliable sources of helium supply.

In 2020, a domestic company proposed the innovative method of "flash steam helium extraction." Through continuous trials, this method successfully extracted helium from natural gas waste. China subsequently developed its own helium extraction equipment, marking a crucial step in the field of helium production.

Today, China has installed BOG helium extraction equipment in the Ningxia region, capable of producing 40 liters of helium per hour.Although the current helium extraction efficiency is not very high, this equipment has successfully demonstrated to the world our country's ability to independently produce helium.

After more than two years of research and development, our country has successfully developed the first domestic set of low-temperature helium extraction equipment for liquefied natural gas flash vapor, and has successfully produced liquid helium products that meet the design requirements.

The successful development of this equipment not only fills the domestic gap but also defends the national strategic security of helium.

Our country has continuously made breakthroughs in helium resource development technology, providing a strong guarantee for reducing the risk of being "strangled".

Our country has successfully developed low-temperature helium extraction equipment for liquefied natural gas flash vapor, which extracts high-purity helium from LNG flash vapor and has been successfully commercially operated in Yanchi, Ningxia, achieving the nationalization of large-scale low-temperature refrigeration equipment and breaking the technical barriers of foreign countries.

【Conclusion】

Although our country faces huge challenges in helium resources, through measures such as continuously increasing resource exploration, accelerating technological innovation and promotion, strengthening international cooperation and exchange, establishing a strategic reserve system, and cultivating a professional talent team, our country is expected to achieve self-sufficiency in helium in the future and lead the world's development in various fields.