The 108th District Court in Potter County, Texas, has placed Cliffside Refiners, L.P. (CRLP) under receivership due to an unresolved deadlock among its partners over the operation and future of the Crude Helium Enrichment Unit (CHEU).
The appointed receiver was granted authority to operate CRLP’s business, including the Messer Helium Cliffside (MHC) to continue to operate the CHEU as part of the former Federal Helium System near Amarillo, Texas, now owned by MHC.
Read more: Messer finalises purchase of Federal Helium Reserve
Chris Ebeling, Executive Vice-President of Sales & Marketing for North America at Messer, described the outcome as a positive development that will avoid disruption of the helium system’s operations.
“Given all of the uncertainty due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, the continued war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, maintaining this vital US source is paramount.”
Back in October, MHC filed a motion requesting the appointment of a receiver for the CRLP due to the partner deadlock within the CRLP. One partner, Air Products, has refused to allow the CRLP to negotiate or enter into a lease or other agreement with the Helium System’s new owner, MHC, to continue operating the CHEU.
The CHEU is the critical machinery that extracts and processes helium from the system. Messer has previously expressed concerns that Air Products’ actions could prevent numerous third parties from accessing their privately-owned helium stored within the Federal Helium System.
Read more: Air Products could ‘deprive’ companies of privately-owned helium access, says Messer
If the deadlock were to continue, the CRLP will be obligated to dismantle and remove the CHEU – its sole income-generating asset – and force a shutdown of the System, which could have significant repercussions on helium-dependent industries globally.
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