Quantum Helium Limited (QHE ) has welcomed the announcement by the United States Department of Energy on 23 October 2026 that it has formally designated helium as a critical material under the Energy Act of 2020.
The designation recognises helium's essential role in semiconductor manufacturing, advanced technologies and national security.
The designation may also create opportunities for qualifying domestic helium developers to access relevant federal funding and support programmes.
It also brings the strategic importance of Quantum's substantial US helium portfolio into clearer focus.
This portfolio comprises 1.104 billion cubic feet of independently assessed 2U gross helium resources across its Sagebrush and Coyote Wash projects in Colorado.
Based on what the company considers to be a conservative illustrative helium selling price assumption of US$500 per thousand cubic feet (mcf), Quantum's independently assessed 1.104 billion cubic feet of gross helium resource represents a potential gross sales value of approximately US$552 million.
What’s more, Quantum is actively engaged in discussions regarding the potential acquisition of additional acreage to further expand its US helium footprint.
The company is also in the final stages of securing contractors and service providers for its planned larger-scale stimulation programme at Sagebrush-1, which remains targeted for November 2026.
Following the technical evaluation of the earlier extended production test, the company is progressing a conventional propped fracture stimulation programme targeting the helium-bearing Leadville Formation.
The programme is designed to improve reservoir connectivity and deliver stronger, more sustainable flow rates, representing an important next step towards demonstrating the commercial production potential of Sagebrush.
"The US Government's decision to formally designate helium as a critical material is a highly significant development for our industry and particularly encouraging for companies such as Quantum, which already hold substantial independently assessed helium resources within the United States,” said Howard McLaughlin, chief executive of Quantum Helium.
"Only last week, Quantum was a key sponsor of the gasworld Helium Super Summit in Houston, where the case for recognising helium as a critical material was a prominent topic of discussion. The conference included a dedicated presentation on the case for adding helium to the US critical materials list, making the Department of Energy's announcement just two days later particularly encouraging. With more than 1.1 billion cubic feet of independently assessed helium resources across our Colorado projects, Quantum is exceptionally well positioned within the growing US focus on securing domestic helium supply. At what we consider to be a conservative illustrative price of US$500 per thousand cubic feet, our gross resource base represents approximately US$552 million in potential gross sales value, highlighting the considerable scale of our portfolio.”
View from Vox
With resource nationalism an ever-growing issue in global politics, countries are continuing to work out just what does and does not constitute a critical mineral for them. The US is perhaps the key player in this trend, and companies like Quantum, which can now say it has a substantial resource of a designated critical mineral located squarely inside the US, start to look very well positioned indeed. Work still needs to be done in Colorado, so watch November’s programme closely. But Quantum looks to be in the right place at the right time, and has already gone a long way towards building significant value.