Upcoming Event: Richard Brook Presents the Five-Year Helium Market Forecast — Houston, October 19–21
Issue No. 9 | September 14, 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
Ukraine's September 9 strikes on the Novy Urengoy and Purovsky gas-processing facilities demonstrated an ability to attack Russian energy infrastructure more than 3,000 km from Ukraine.
The helium implications deserve attention because Ukraine has already attacked Russia's Orenburg Gas Processing and Helium complex. From a reference point near Ukraine's eastern border, Orenburg is approximately 786 miles away, the latest Novy Urengoy target approximately 1,818 miles, IRK's Yaraktinskoye helium operation approximately 2,777 miles, and Gazprom's Amur GPP approximately 3,741 miles away.
WHY IT MATTERS:
Russia has become increasingly important to global helium supply, particularly as production has become critical for supplying Asian markets. The recent attacks demonstrate that energy infrastructure deep inside Russia can no longer automatically be regarded as beyond Ukraine's reach.
Orenburg has already been attacked. IRK's Yaraktinskoye helium plant remains considerably beyond the range of Ukrainian missiles, while the Gasprom Amur plant remains farther still.
Russia's sheer size continues to protect important helium infrastructure. At least, for now.
Houthi forces, one of Iran's proxies, have seized Mocha and moved onto strategic Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, potentially threatening another critical shipping chokepoint for global energy and trade.
A portion of the small amount of Qatari helium currently being produced was being trucked across Saudi Arabia and exported from Jeddah. A good amount of this helium was heading south through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and onwards to points east, including India, Singapore, and China.
Suddenly, even this route is being threatened.
Avanti has raised roughly C$43 million since 2021 while repeatedly delaying its expected first production.
With this financing, the Company is announcing, "Following completion of these activities, the Company expects to be positioned for first helium production."
China's Wandong Medical reports that sales of its helium-free 1.5-tesla MRI systems increased by more than 150%, demonstrating that helium-free MRI is becoming commercially significant.
Air Nostrum has doubled its Airlander 10 reservation to 20 aircraft, potentially creating new helium demand of approximately 1.2 MMcf for the initial fill of each aircraft.
University of Surrey researchers propose a qubit based on quantized oscillations in superfluid helium, potentially making helium part of quantum-computing architecture rather than merely its coolant.
Saskatchewan awarded all 13 helium and associated-gas permits offered in September, covering 272,915 hectares and raising C$2.5 million from two successful bidders.
TSMC's rapidly expanding 2nm and 3nm production could materially increase helium consumption, since leading-edge wafers require up to four times as much helium as older semiconductor processes. Helium consumption could rise by perhaps 20% year over year. Bottom line: helium consumption in semiconductor manufacturing is booming and will receive special attention from THE BROOK REPORT.