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This table presents detailed data on helium recovery activities in the United States, including volumes of crude helium sold by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), helium stored and withdrawn from BLM’s underground storage facility, as well as helium recovered and sold by private industry. This information is critical for understanding the supply dynamics of helium, a nonrenewable resource essential for various industrial applications such as medical imaging, electronics manufacturing, and scientific research. Tracking these figures helps policymakers and industry stakeholders manage helium resources effectively, ensuring stable supply and supporting economic activities dependent on this vital gas.
Analysis of the data from 2019 to 2023 reveals several notable trends. BLM’s crude helium sold fluctuated, with a low of 2 million cubic meters in 2020 and 2022, and a peak of 6.8 million cubic meters in 2022, though sales ceased in 2023 with only 3 million cubic meters reported, reflecting the end of in-kind sales. The volume of crude helium accepted and stored by BLM increased steadily from 3.2 million cubic meters in 2019 to a high of 9.1 million in 2022 before dropping to 4.6 million in 2023. Withdrawals from storage remained substantial and negative throughout the period, peaking at -25 million cubic meters in 2019 and stabilizing around -22 million cubic meters in 2023, indicating ongoing reliance on stored reserves. Private industry sales of gaseous or Grade-A helium showed some variability but generally remained robust, with 81.2 million cubic meters sold in 2023, close to the 86.2 million cubic meters sold in 2019. Total helium recovered from natural gas showed a slight decline from 71.9 million cubic meters in 2020 to 63.6 million cubic meters in 2023, suggesting a modest reduction in raw helium extraction from natural gas sources over recent years.
| TABLE 3 | ||||||||||||||
| HELIUM RECOVERY IN THE UNITED STATES1 | ||||||||||||||
| (Million cubic meters) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||||||||
| Bureau of Land Management (BLM) crude | ||||||||||||||
| helium sold (in-kind and open market) | 5 | 2 | 5.9 | 2 | 4.4 | 2 | 6.8 | 2 | -- | 3 | ||||
| Crude helium accepted and stored by BLM | 3.2 | 5.1 | 7.1 | 9.1 | 4.6 | |||||||||
| Crude helium withdrawn from storage | -25 | -14.7 | -14.2 | -21.3 | -22.2 | |||||||||
| Total net crude helium put into storage4 | -21.8 | -9.6 | -7 | -12.2 | -17.6 | |||||||||
| Private industry gaseous or Grade-A helium sold | 86.2 | 81.5 | 75.9 | 77.5 | 81.2 | |||||||||
| Total helium recovered from natural gas4 | 64.4 | 71.9 | 68.9 | 65.3 | 63.6 | |||||||||
-- Zero.
1Negative numbers denote a net withdrawal from BLMʼs underground storage facility, a partially depleted natural gas reservoir at the Cliffside Field near Amarillo, TX.
2This only represents in-kind sales. Open market sales ended in 2018.
3Open market sales ended in 2018 and in-kind sales ended in 2022.
4Numbers may not add to totals shown owing to rounding and conversions.
Source: United States Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program
See also: Helium statistics | Mineral commodity prices