Upcoming Event: Richard Brook Presents the Five-Year Helium Market Forecast — Houston, October 19–21
Issue No. 11 | September 28, 2026
THE BROOK REPORT
Market intelligence on Helium, Helium-3, & Cryogenic Technology
A weekly report on trends shaping our industry
CURATED NEWS FOR ALL THINGS HELIUM
⭐️ Brook's Pick of the Week
China has well over 15 helium projects in various stages of development, all racing to produce helium. Together, they exceed 250 MMcf/yr.
China has multiple routes for turning otherwise underused gas at LNG facilities into domestic helium. Jovo alone reports 53.0 MMcf/year of combined helium capacity at its two sites. But capacity, trial output, and sales are different measures. Sinopec, at its Fuling LNG plant, is apparently well on its way to starting up a plant that might reach 100+ MMcf/yr. The BROOK REPORT will keep an eye on these developments in China and provide updates as available. Project sustainability ultimately will rest on the economics of extraction, purification, and the cost of the supply chain. Projects that are profitable in a short market may quickly become unprofitable when the market swings. That will be the real test.
North American Helium reports that Stewart Valley is producing about 200 Mcf/day, equivalent to 73 MMcf/year if sustained. Sales are contracted; a Saskatchewan liquefier remains proposed.
QatarEnergy’s chief now estimates it will take three years to repair two damaged LNG trains. The revised timetable still leaves associated helium feed constrained after shipping through Hormuz resumes.
Stallion opened its Khalapur debulking and blending facility, expanding domestic helium handling.
A natural-gas helium project started a 350 L/hour liquefier, producing roughly 76 MMcf/year at continuous full operation. Actual annual output and BOG feed have not been established.
Researchers propose helium-3 atom arrays that tunnel faster than lithium-based designs. This is a distinct potential application for the isotope, though the device remains unbuilt. (The BROOK REPORT notes that in the photo of Professor Covey, he is leaning against the whiteboard. Hopefully he is not accidentally erasing a key portion of the equation.)
Rost 2-26 yielded an 11.5% helium sample, but Mendell says gas volumes remain low during dewatering. The well needs sustained flow before its concentration has commercial meaning.
A helium-filled tethered balloon lifted two tonnes of tower materials to over 4,000 meters in Tibet, demonstrating a practical heavy-lift application.