The storage of helium is something the US has taken for granted for decades, however, that is no longer the case as the status quo is undergoing a seismic shift that will forever change how helium is stored in the region.
For industries such as semiconductor manufacturing that are already experiencing a helium shortage, further disruption to the helium supply chain is unwelcome news. It’s clear that new solutions are needed to stabilize the US helium supply.
As is the case with much of North America’s infrastructure across many industries, the US was once at the cutting-edge of helium storage. The Helium Acts Amendment of 1960 authorized the establishment of a helium storage facility and Federal Helium Reserve in the Bush Dome Reservoir, a partially depleted reservoir in the Cliffside Field near the Hugoton Gas Field. Since then, most of the helium stored in the US, whether owned by the government or private companies, has been stored in the Federal Helium Reserve, which is located in Amarillo, Texas and operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
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