November 17, 2021
This report is the deliverable for Milestone 1.1.1 of the FEnEx CRC’s Commonwealth Grant Agreement. Helium is a unique substance of significant value (4 to 7 USD/m3), which is most efficiently produced from natural gas. Global demand for helium is rising, with frequent shortages and a supply-side oligopoly. Australia has an estimated 3.6 billion m3 of helium in its natural gas resources (21 years of global consumption) with the Surat, Gunnedah, Canarvon, Canning and Perth basins being amongst the most prospective. However, BOC is Australia’s only producer and supplier of helium, receiving feed from Darwin LNG’s nitrogen rejection unit (NRU) vent, even though other Australian LNG plants with single or double-column NRUs are likely venting gas with comparable or higher helium concentrations to the atmosphere. Read More