Canada’s largest helium purification facility is now operating in southwest Saskatchewan. The facility, located near Stewart Valley, will produce about 73 million cubic feet of helium per year, increasing the province’s annual output by more than 40 per cent, according to a news release from the province. The facility also contains its very own lab, eliminating days of back-and-forth communication and shipping of gas vials for testing. It enables fine tuning for purifying the helium to be done on site, which is not a luxury most sites have. Saskatchewan is the nation’s largest producer of helium, with its use reaching industrial processes in the medical, defence, space exploration and advanced manufacturing sectors. The province’s largest helium producer, North American Helium, invested about $700 million and drilled over 120 wells in the province over the last 10 years, with Saskatchewan producing over 95 per cent of all helium supply in Canada and North America. Energy and Resources Minister Chris Beaudry said the government is pleased to see the investment North American Helium has made over the years. “Facilities like this will be crucial to helping Saskatchewan reach 10 per cent of the global helium supply by 2030, following through on the commitments outlined in our government’s Helium Action Plan,” he said in the update. North American Helium Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Snyder backed up that 2030 target saying, “That’s certainly a goal that we’re aiming towards. I think this is a very long-term opportunity and until they change the laws of physics this is only going to get more important.” Snyder said helium is a critical input to industrial processes unable to pause operations. “We are doing our part by bringing on new reliable production to a volatile market plagued by repeated global shortages,” he said in the release. “Support from the Saskatchewan Government in the form of the Helium Action Plan and associated incentives, make the province a premier destination for new investment in helium exploration and development.” The provincial government is also continuing to advocate for changes to the federal tax system that would encourage private investment into the helium industry, placing helium on a level playing field with other critical minerals. Snyder joined a Saskatchewan delegation on a trip to Ottawa to make their case. According to the province, the changes would also help create conditions to bring Canada’s first commercial-scale helium liquefaction facility to Saskatchewan, securing a domestic supply chain of helium and creating a helium export sector. Currently, Canada does not possess any commercial scale facilities needed to change the state of helium from a gas to a liquid. North American Helium’s next goal is constructing the country’s first such facility. The location for the potential new liquefaction plant is in the heart of Saskatchewan’s southwest, Swift Current. Snyder said North American Helium’s hopeful timeline to have that facility up and running is in the next two or three years.
