When more than 100 delegates from 16 countries gathered in London, UK for the first ever Global Helium Summit in June 2013, the trends, technologies and dynamics of the helium supply chain were in focus like never before.
A veritable who’s-who in science, cryogenics, technology, the global helium business and it’s applications all gathered at a critical time for the market; the world was in the midst of Helium Shortage 2.0, a combination of supply-demand imbalances that only appeared set to intensify.
While the strong demand for helium had remained steady, a number of shortcomings in supply had led to worldwide shortages, across a wide range of end-user sectors. Against this backdrop, fears were intensifying concerning the future fate of the BLM-operated US Federal Helium Reserve in Texas, as the clock ticked on a plan for future governance. Questions were mounting in both the industry and the public domain. When will the shortage of helium end? What new sources are expected to come on-stream? How are we dealing with the shortage, and how will future plans directly affect other stakeholders in the business?
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