Helium

2022

Reduction of supplies abroad by 14.2% to 696 thousand cubic meters

In 2022, Russia exported 696 thousand cubic meters of helium, which is 14.2% less than the volume of supplies a year ago at 812 thousand cubic meters. This is evidenced by the data that BusinesStat analysts presented in October 2023.

As noted in the study, the Russian Federation in 2022 lost regular helium sales channels in foreign markets. Countries European Union have abandoned purchases of domestic helium or minimized them. Personal restrictions on the heads of large Russian companies and the prohibition banks of transactions with Russian ones led to difficulties in paying for international transactions.

According to the results of 2022, the largest countries-buyers of helium made of Russia steel, and Kazakhstan. China Belarus Researchers note that the countries of the Asia-Pacific region (APR), mainly China, turned out to be a promising direction for Russia in the field of helium trade. In 2022, Russian helium exports to China grew more than 600 times. The competitiveness of inert gas in the global market is determined not only by its resources and production scale, but also by the presence of a market niche, as well as the logistics component. The delivery of helium from Russia to the foreign markets of the Asia-Pacific countries is more economically profitable than the supply from, or Qatar- USA Australia world leaders in the production of this inert gas.

BusinesStat also cites data according to which for 2018-2020. helium exports from Russia increased by 76.9%: from 477.6 to 844.7 thousand cubic meters. In 2021, the supply of Russian helium to the world market decreased by 3.9% - to 811.5 thousand cubic meters. Supplies to the markets of Germany, Poland and Ukraine fell noticeably - by 77.3%, 87% and 51.4%, respectively, analysts add.^[1]

Russia entered the top 5 helium producers in the world

In 2022, 28.4 thousand tons of helium were produced in the world, which is 2.1% less than in 2018. Such data analysts BusinesStat released in early September 2023.

In 2018-2022 The largest helium producer in the world was the United States. At the end of 2022, 13.4 thousand tons of helium were received in this country. According to the US Geological Survey, by the end of 2022, there were 15 plants operating here to extract helium from natural gas and produce crude helium with a content of 50 to 99% pure substance. At the same time, in 2018-2022 there was a decrease in the US share in the global helium market (from 55.1 to 47%) amid an increase in Qatar's share (from 27.6 to 37.6%). Helium deposits in the United States are gradually being exhausted, and reserves are running out.

Qatar was in second place in the world helium production in 2018-2022 - 10.7 thousand tons at the end of 2022. Helium extraction facilities in Qatar operated by Qatargas are located in the industrial centre of Ras Laffan. The country is investing heavily in expanding its helium production capacity. By the end of 2022, Russia entered the top five largest helium producers with a volume of 0.7 thousand.

The study notes that the expansion of capacities at existing plants and the creation of new industries did not deter the helium market from falling in 2022. The main reasons for the reduction in helium production in the world were:

• shutdown of existing key production facilities for repairs in Qatar and Russia;
• reducing the production of natural gas, behind which the volumes of recovered helium are reduced;
• absence of new helium deposits. Helium is a rare natural resource whose presence is limited on the surface of the Earth. The discovery of new fields requires significant investment and temporary resources.^[2]

Notes