Helium has been extracted from underground in Nièvre, in Saint-Parize-le-Châtel, a first in Europe.
This rare gas was until now entirely imported, mainly from the United States.
Highly sought after, it is now essential to many cutting-edge sectors.
It has become essential to many cutting-edge sectors. Much more than the recreational uses for which it is known to the general public, such as inflatable balloons or diving tanks, helium is essential in electronics, particularly for semiconductors, but also in optical fiber, nuclear power and aerospace. This raw material, whose production is dominated by the United States (60% of global production), represents a market worth several billion dollars.
For the first time in Europe, a deposit began to be exploited this week in Nièvre, in Saint-Parize-le-Châtel, where a small production unit extracts from the subsoil this rare and strategic gas which was until now entirely imported. This pilot project is led by two French engineers. The startup 45.8 Energy, which they co-founded in 2017, aims to produce a “European and sovereign helium“, while the 32 million cubic metres consumed in Western Europe, the second largest market in the world, are entirely imported.
To be transported over a long distance, helium must be liquefied at a temperature of -269 degrees, “so it requires a lot of energy“, explains to AFP Antoine Petat, operations manager at 45.8 Energy. And the operation must be reversed once the gas arrives at the customers. By extracting it in Europe itself, close to consumers and therefore over short distances, 45.8 Energy can transport the helium in a gaseous state.”The carbon footprint is incomparable“, assures the engineer. Not to mention the economic cost. The price of imported helium has tripled in the last five years.
A multi-billion dollar market
Helium is a highly sought-after gas, so much so that the European Union included it on the list of critical resources in 2023. By 2030, 10% of helium will have to be extracted locally in the EU. The young French company said it had identified several potential deposits in the territory and set itself the goal of eventually supplying up to 15% of French needs. The outlets already exist, and demand is expected to grow in the coming years, according to the firm Research & Markets, which estimates the market at $6.92 billion by 2028.
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Because many people don’t know it, helium is not just used to inflate balloons and fuel diving tanks. It has many industrial applications. In its liquid state, it is the coldest gas on Earth, practically at absolute zero. Industrialists use it, for example, for cooling in the production of optical fiber, essential for the deployment of 5G. It is also used in the space sector, to cool satellite launchers. In the automotive industry, it is used for the production of airbags, while in electronics, it is essential for the manufacture of flat screens.
