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# Helium critical material: DOE adds gas, citing chipmaking
- URL: https://bullquill.com/us-designates-helium-critical-material/
- Published: 2026-10-23T19:15:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T19:28:09.000Z
- Description: DOE says helium cannot be replaced in semiconductor manufacturing, leak testing of gas infrastructure and quantum computing. The move follows curtailed Qatari exports and Russia's new helium export licensing.
- Author: Rowan Ashby
- Tags: Business, Helium, Critical Minerals, Semiconductors, US Department of Energy, #lang-en, #tr-us-designates-helium-critical-material

## Key takeaways

- The US Department of Energy (DOE) added helium to its Critical Material List on October 23, 2026, under Section 7002 of the Energy Act of 2020.
- DOE says helium cannot be replaced in several energy-critical uses, including semiconductor manufacturing, leak testing of natural gas infrastructure and quantum computing.
- The United States sold an estimated 81 million cubic meters of helium in 2025, about 43% of world output, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
- The decision follows supply shocks: Qatar's helium exports were curtailed after the Strait of Hormuz closed, and Russia added helium to its export licensing list in April.
- According to AP, the designation makes more federal financing available to helium producers and brings closer government monitoring of the sector.

## Helium is now a US critical material: what DOE decided

The US Energy Department has given helium critical material status because the gas has no substitute in chipmaking and other energy uses. Assistant Secretary Audrey Robertson signed the notice on October 21, and DOE announced it on October 23.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright tied the move to industrial policy. "Helium is essential to producing the semiconductors and advanced technologies that power our economy," he said in the DOE announcement, calling the designation another step toward securing US supply chains.

The notice states that helium is "non-substitutable" for several critical energy functions: semiconductor manufacturing, leak testing of natural gas infrastructure and quantum computing. It is also essential to key medical and scientific applications. DOE adds that demand is growing because helium enables advanced semiconductor manufacturing for AI and data center supply chains. The notice links the decision to two executive orders on AI infrastructure, including the October 2026 order "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence."

### Which list, and under what authority

There are two separate federal lists, and they are easy to confuse:

- **The DOE Critical Material List.** Section 7002(a)(2) of the Energy Act of 2020 (codified at 30 U.S.C. 1606) lets the Secretary of Energy name any non-fuel material that has a high risk of supply disruption and serves an essential function in energy technologies. Helium was added to this list.
- **The USGS critical minerals list.** The Interior Department sets this list through the USGS. Helium was on the 2018 version but was dropped from later lists because domestic supply was then considered secure, AP reported. DOE's list automatically includes every mineral on the USGS list.

DOE's own list dates from a final determination published on August 4, 2023\. Metallurgical coal for steelmaking was added on May 22, 2025\. Helium is the second addition since then. According to AP, fluorine is the only other gas on the list.

## US helium supply in numbers

Most helium is recovered as a byproduct of natural gas processing, which is why the largest producers are also big gas producers. The United States leads world output by a wide margin. Qatar is second, and in 2025 Russia ranked third.

| Country               | Production 2024 (million m³) | Production 2025, est. (million m³) | Share of 2025 world output | Reserves (million m³) |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | -------------------------- | --------------------- |
| United States         | 80                           | 81                                 | \~43%                      | 8,500                 |
| Qatar                 | 64 (est.)                    | 63                                 | \~33%                      | Large (est.)          |
| Russia                | 17 (est.)                    | 18                                 | \~9%                       | 1,700 (est.)          |
| Algeria               | 11 (est.)                    | 11                                 | \~6%                       | 1,800 (est.)          |
| Canada                | 6                            | 6                                  | \~3%                       | n/a                   |
| China                 | 3                            | 3                                  | \~2%                       | n/a                   |
| Poland                | 3                            | 3                                  | \~2%                       | 24                    |
| World total (rounded) | 183 (est.)                   | 190                                | 100%                       | n/a                   |

Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, helium chapter (February 2026). Shares are calculated by Bullquill from USGS figures.

The USGS figures also show how US supply is used. The United States is a net exporter of helium, but it still imports some, mainly from Canada and Qatar.

| United States (million m³)              | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 (est.) |
| --------------------------------------- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ----------- |
| Grade-A and gaseous helium sold or used | 76   | 77   | 81   | 80   | 81          |
| Imports for consumption                 | 8    | 6    | 8    | 12   | 8           |
| Exports                                 | 33   | 34   | 34   | 41   | 38          |
| Apparent consumption                    | 51   | 50   | 56   | 51   | 51          |

Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026\. From 2021 to 2024, US helium imports came from Canada (47%), Qatar (28%), Algeria (10%), China (5%) and other countries (10%).

USGS estimated the 2025 US base price for Grade-A helium at about $12 per cubic meter ($330 per thousand cubic feet), with producers adding surcharges. Six new US helium operations started in 2025: three in New Mexico and one each in Colorado, Kansas and Montana.

## Why now: Qatar, Hormuz and Russia's export controls

DOE's notice does not mention specific foreign suppliers, but the timing follows a difficult year for the global helium market.

- **Qatar.** QatarEnergy halted LNG and associated production at Ras Laffan on March 2, 2026, after hostilities began, and declared force majeure on March 4, risk consultancy Exiger reported. Helium is a byproduct of that processing. AP reported that Qatar's helium exports have been severely curtailed because Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz during its war with Israel and the US, and that Iranian strikes on Qatari infrastructure also hit supply.
- **Russia.** On April 14, 2026, Russia's government added helium to the list of goods that need a permit for export outside the Eurasian Economic Union, until the end of 2027, Interfax reported. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had said a week earlier that global helium supply had "decreased by almost a third."
- **Prices.** In March, Exiger said helium spot prices had doubled since the crisis began. Current spot prices could not be verified from a primary source.

Asian chipmakers were among the most exposed. Exiger reported that South Korea sourced nearly 65% of its helium from Qatar in 2025\. For background on how supply worries and AI spending have moved the sector, see our coverage of the [recent slump in chip stocks](https://bullquill.com/chip-stocks-slump-semiconductor-index-ai-costs/) and [South Korea's chip-heavy KOSPI](https://bullquill.com/kospi-drops-3-percent-chip-stocks-us-selloff/).

## What the designation does, and what it does not

A spot on the DOE list does not set prices, ban exports or create a stockpile. Its effects are mostly indirect:

- **Funding.** AP reported that the designation makes more federal financing available to helium producers, since many DOE critical materials programs are tied to the list.
- **Monitoring.** AP also reported that the government will watch the sector more closely.
- **No federal reserve.** The federal helium reserve in Texas was privatized under a 2013 law. The Bureau of Land Management completed its sale to the industrial gas company Messer in 2024, AP reported. USGS lists the government helium stockpile as "None."

DOE says the main constraint on US output is processing, not geology. The department told AP that extraction plants are running at their limits and that new ones take years to permit and build. Helium-rich gas fields exist in Wyoming, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Utah. USGS estimates recoverable helium in identified US gas reservoirs at 8.49 billion cubic meters.

## What it means

**Chipmakers and AI infrastructure.** DOE explicitly linked helium to plans for more US semiconductor production for AI. In the USGS breakdown, controlled atmospheres, fiber optics and semiconductors take 17% of US helium use. Fabs rely on the gas for cooling and inert atmospheres, so a supply shortfall can quickly become a production problem.

**MRI and medical users.** Magnetic resonance imaging accounts for 15% of US helium use, according to USGS. USGS notes that nothing replaces helium in cryogenic uses below −429°F, though some MRI superconductors are being developed to run at higher temperatures. Hospitals and research labs have little room to switch gases.

**US producers.** Explorers had pushed for the change. AP reported that Avanti Helium, a North American exploration company, had urged a critical designation to reduce dependence on foreign supply. Access to federal financing could support new processing plants, but DOE's own assessment points to permitting times as the bottleneck.

**Prices.** The designation adds no supply in the short term. Prices will depend more on whether Qatari output and Hormuz shipping recover and on how Russia uses its licensing regime. Columbia University's Greeshma Gadikota told AP that more domestic refining and recovery would reduce reliance on overseas supply.

For the science of the element itself, read our explainer on [how scientists measure helium from the Big Bang](https://bullquill.com/big-bang-helium-measurement-explained/). For the geopolitical backdrop to the Hormuz disruption, see [Trump's latest comments on Iran talks](https://bullquill.com/trump-says-us-not-negotiating-with-iran/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is helium a critical mineral in the US?

Helium is on the US Department of Energy's Critical Material List as of October 23, 2026, under the Energy Act of 2020\. The separate USGS critical minerals list included helium in 2018 but dropped it in later editions, AP reported.

### Why did the US designate helium a critical material?

DOE says helium cannot be replaced in semiconductor manufacturing, leak testing of natural gas infrastructure, quantum computing and key medical and scientific uses, and that demand is growing with AI and data center chip production.

### Which countries produce the most helium?

According to USGS estimates for 2025, the United States produced 81 million cubic meters, Qatar 63 million, Russia 18 million and Algeria 11 million, out of about 190 million cubic meters worldwide.

### What does the critical material designation change?

It does not set prices or restrict exports. AP reported that it makes more federal financing available to helium producers and brings closer government monitoring of the sector.

## Sources

- [US Department of Energy: Energy Department Designates Helium as Critical Material (Oct. 23, 2026)](https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-designates-helium-critical-material-strengthen-american-manufacturing?ref=bullquill.com)
- [US Department of Energy: Federal Register notice, Critical Material List; Addition of Helium (signed Oct. 21, 2026)](https://www.energy.gov/documents/fed-register-notice-heliumpdf?ref=bullquill.com)
- [US Department of Energy: What are critical materials and critical minerals?](https://www.energy.gov/cmm/what-are-critical-materials-and-critical-minerals?ref=bullquill.com)
- [US Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Helium and Rare Gases](https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-helium.pdf?ref=bullquill.com)
- [Federal Register: Notice of Final Determination on 2023 DOE Critical Materials List](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/04/2023-16611/notice-of-final-determination-on-2023-doe-critical-materials-list?ref=bullquill.com)
- [AP via ABC News: US designates helium as a critical material, citing its importance for semiconductors](https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/us-designates-helium-critical-material-citing-importance-semiconductors-137509802?ref=bullquill.com)
- [Interfax: Russia introduces helium export controls (Apr. 14, 2026)](https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/117116/?ref=bullquill.com)
- [Exiger: Iran War Disrupts One-Third of Global Helium Supply (March 2026)](https://exiger.com/perspectives/iran-war-disrupts-one-third-of-global-helium-supply/?ref=bullquill.com)