What state has the most helium?

Helium occurs with other gasses in pockets beneath the Earth’s surface. The most economical source of helium is natural gas, all of which contains some helium. Natural gas in the States of Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming is richer in helium than what has been recovered from other States.

Where is helium mined in the US?

Most U.S. helium-rich natural gas is located in the Hugoton-Panhandle field in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas; the LaBarge field in the Riley Ridge area of Wyoming; and the federal facility in the Cliffside field near Amarillo, Texas (Figure 2.2).

Where can I extract helium?

A helium content of 0.3 percent or more is considered necessary for commercial helium extraction. In 2012, helium was recovered at 16 extraction plants, from gas wells in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. One extraction plant in Utah was idle in 2012.

Why is there a helium shortage 2022?

A gas leak, a fire, and an explosion Over the past few months, disasters have struck the largest of these plants, disrupting supply and creating a helium shortage. A January gas leak forced a US helium plant in Cliffside, Texas to shut down for emergency repairs.

Is helium really running out?

The good news, however, is that there’s more helium in other areas of the Earth (such as groundwater) than scientists previously thought. So while we are running down the helium stockpile, it looks like we will not be running out of helium anytime soon.

Is there a helium shortage 2021?

Looking in the rear-view mirror, Helium Shortage 4.0 dates back to 1st July, 2021, when the BLM’s 4 month outage began. Since Helium Shortage 4.0 will likely continue through 2022 and, possibly, into 2023, it will probably have a total duration of 18-24 months.

Is there a helium shortage 2020?

Helium shortages can derail research and threaten expensive instruments that depend on the gas to operate safely. In late 2020, analysts predicted—and we reported—that pressures on the global helium market were likely to ease as new production capacity came online.