Australia urged to extract helium as Iran conflict impacts global supply

The recent disruption to global helium supplies, stemming from Iranian missile strikes on Qatar's Ras Laffan gas plant, serves as a stark reminder of the geopolitical vulnerabilities affecting critical resources. For Australia, this situation presents not just a challenge but a significant opportunity. Helium, often dismissed as merely the gas for party balloons, is in fact a vital, finite resource underpinning key sectors of the modern economy, from advanced semiconductor manufacturing to life-saving medical technology.

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Those technologies depend on very advanced semiconductor chips that requires extraordinarily complex manufacturing processes.

As engineer Arup George points out, the demand for helium in the digital age is immense. Its unique properties—inertness and extremely small molecular size—make it indispensable for producing microchips, expanding data centers, and advancing artificial intelligence. Furthermore, its extremely low boiling point makes it the coldest liquid substance known, critical for cooling the superconducting magnets in MRI machines. Companies like Brisbane startup Magnetica are innovating with low-helium or helium-free MRI designs, but the global demand for this scarce resource remains high.

The co-location of helium deposits with natural gas, a resource Australia possesses in abundance, presents a clear pathway for domestic extraction. Professor Eric May, CEO of the Future Energy Exports CRC, highlights this synergy. Developing Australia's capacity to extract helium could not only secure our own supply for these critical industries but also position us as a key global supplier, mitigating the risks associated with geopolitical instability in traditional supply regions like the Middle East.

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The liquid helium will evaporate over time. So it does require topping up.

From an Australian perspective, this is more than just an economic opportunity; it's a strategic imperative. Reducing reliance on volatile international markets for a resource essential to our technological and healthcare future is prudent. While the environmental considerations of natural gas extraction must be managed, the potential to harness a valuable byproduct like helium aligns with our goals of technological advancement and resource security. This push for helium extraction could unlock a new dimension for Australia's already significant energy sector.

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For us, it was a clear decision as part of the design of our compact MRI systems to really target helium-free [equipment].