A new initiative to complete a helium liquefaction hub study was introduced by the province of Saskatchewan.
The initiative is expected to have economic benefits in Saskatchewan, create 500 new permanent jobs at 15 new helium purification and liquefaction facilities and create annual helium exports worth more than $500 million.
In a release, the province stated the Ministry of Energy and Resources (ER) will support the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) with a grant of $140,000 to complete the hub study, which will incorporate technical and economic components and provide the critical information needed to develop a commercial scale, value-added, export-oriented helium sector in Saskatchewan.
“We are already home to Canada’s largest purification facility, near Battle Creek, and liquefaction is the crucial next step as we aim to supply 10 per cent of global helium market share by 2030,” stated ER Minister Bronwyn Eyre.
“Only liquid helium can be exported overseas and as many end-users require liquid helium, a provincial liquefaction facility will improve both the marketability and pricing for Saskatchewan’s significant helium resources.”
This province stated this initiative will play a key role in achieving the targets laid out in Saskatchewan’s Helium Action Plan: From Exploration to Exports.
The hub study will look into bringing in helium stakeholders to help provide companies with the information they need to make major investment decisions, including around establishing Saskatchewan as a regional helium liquefaction hub in Western Canada and surrounding U.S. states.
“The study will also include helium supply volume forecasts from Saskatchewan, neighbouring provinces and states under different market scenarios and a ranking of specific site locations,” according to the release.
Saskatchewan produces and purifies helium which is sent to the United States for commercial scale liquefaction. The province stated that provincial liquefaction will also ensure that end-users in Canada have reliable access to liquid helium for critical equipment such as medical resonance imaging (MRI) machines.