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\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\tHelium is the 20th critical material identified by DOE\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Metallurgical coal used for steelmaking was the last one to be added, in 2025. The only other gas on the list is fluorine.<\/p>\n
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To make the critical materials list, a non-fuel mineral element or substance must serve an essential function in one or more energy technologies and there must be a high risk of disruption to the supply chain.<\/p>\n
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Helium makes balloons rise, but that\u2019s not why the DOE is interested in it. Helium plays an important role in wind, solar and nuclear energy production, space exploration, medical imaging and research.<\/p>\n
Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson said helium\u2019s unique properties make it irreplaceable, such as the fact that it\u2019s non-combustible and has the lowest boiling point of any gas. The nation needs an ample supply for semiconductors, quantum and super computing, and superconducting magnets, added Robertson, who oversees the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to make sure that we can build those here. And helium is one of those components that could be a single point of failure, where we cannot let that happen. That\u2019s why we\u2019re designating it within our statutory authority, but I think why it\u2019s important is not necessarily for our birthday parties,\u201d Robertson said in an interview. \u201cIt\u2019s really towards the future of American competitiveness and energy security, which we believe is national security.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Isaacs, vice president of the Semiconductor Industry Association trade group, noted helium plays an essential role in the industry\u2019s cooling, photolithography, leak detection and more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look forward to continuing to work with government and industry leaders in the U.S. and across the world to strengthen semiconductor supply chain resilience,\u201d Isaacs said.<\/p>\n
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The United States designates both critical minerals and critical materials, and there is some crossover between them. The U.S. Geological Survey included helium on a 2018 list of critical minerals, but later lists omitted it because the domestic supply of helium was considered secure.<\/p>\n
Despite environmental concerns with recovering helium from natural gas, there are also opportunities, said Greeshma Gadikota, director of the Lenfast Center for Sustainable Energy at Columbia University.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we burn the natural gas, there are a lot of CO2 emissions associated with that,\u201d Gadikota said. \u201cBut if you just extract the helium and use it, the uses of it don\u2019t contribute necessarily to greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tMore on U.S. News<\/button>More videos<\/button>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\u201cSo from a climate standpoint, if we are going to continue down the line of extracting natural gas and recovering helium,\u201d she added, \u201cI would prefer to see natural gas being used in a form where we directly produce hydrogen and we produce solid carbon.\u201d Hydrogen is a clean burning fuel, and solid carbon can provide permanent carbon sequestration and can be used widely in industrial applications, including rubber and pigments.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\tU.S. production of helium is constrained\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There used to be a strategic national stockpile in Texas for helium, much like America\u2019s Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Congress mandated in 2013 that it be privatized. The Bureau of Land Management completed the sale of the federal helium system to the industrial gas company Messer in 2024.<\/p>\n
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The U.S. produced 81 million cubic meters of helium in 2025, or 43 per cent of the global supply. Of that, 38 million cubic meters of helium was exported. The U.S. has produced roughly 80 million cubic meters of helium annually since 2021.<\/p>\n
There are large helium reserves in Wyoming, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Utah. Though there are abundant helium resources, helium extraction plants are at their limits and it takes years to permit and build new ones, which continues to constrain U.S. production, according to DOE.<\/p>\n
The plants extracting the most helium, as of 2023, were located in Kansas, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma, according to federal data.<\/p>\n
Some in the helium industry have urged the U.S. government to formally designate helium as a critical resource. The North American gas exploration company Avanti Helium Corp. says it\u2019s urgent, and an increase in North American supply is needed to avoid becoming dependent on foreign sources.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are very pleased to have helium recognized as a critical material,\u201d said Avanti Helium CEO Chris Bakker. \u201cThe U.S. has the potential to remain self-sufficient in helium. However, this will require investment in exploration for new reserves and inclusion on the critical materials list will bring significant support to these efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t© 2026 The Canadian Press\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source: <\/p>\n
: World<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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