RasGas, the operator of Ras Laffan’s helium production, storage, loading and sales facilities, reached a “significant” milestone recently when it delivered its 5,000th cargo of helium from the Helium-1 plant, further cementing Qatar’s position as one of the world’s leading helium producers and exporters.
The “achievement marks a key moment” in RasGas’ optimisation of Qatar’s North Field resources and demonstrates that Qatari helium is playing its part in shaping the world of the future.
Reflecting on the company’s success in helium production and export, RasGas’ chief marketing and shipping officer, Khalid Sultan R al-Kuwari said, “Qatar has two key advantages as one of the most prominent helium exporters. First, our liquefied natural gas (LNG), and thus helium, is derived from multiple upstream projects, positioning us as a reliable choice in the market and setting us apart from single-source suppliers. Second, our multiple LNG trains and two helium plants make Qatar uniquely flexible in our production capabilities.”
RasGas, which recently awarded the sales and purchase agreement and engineering, procurement and construction agreement for the Helium 3 plant, has successfully diversified into the production of helium, a non-hydrocarbon, non-renewable resource.
Market studies show that world demand for helium has increased by 2.7% since 2013, and demand in Asia is expected to grow at 4.5% a year to 2020.
Helium has high value applications in science, medicine and high-tech industries, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fibre optics and metallurgy.