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News Release from: RCCnews | Subject: Kovykta Helium in Sayansk
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 June 2005
Russia will produce 40% of world helium
by 2030
The world consumption of helium is soaring while its recovery is decreasing: when the helium liquefaction plant is built in Sayansk, it will be able to export the gas to China, USA and other countries
The world consumption of helium is soaring while its recovery is decreasing After the Kovykta gas field is developed and a helium liquefaction plant is built in Sayansk, Russia will be able to export the gas to China, USA and other countries
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 30 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The industrial use of helium is considered very promising and its real potential still to be discovered.
Currently, helium is used in gaseous and liquid state.
Gaseous helium is used for manufacturing nuclear reactor fuel elements, optical fibre.
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Liquid helium is utilised for making Tokamak power reactors, cryoturbogenerators and a lot of other things.
Annually, Russia recovers 9 million cubic kilometers of helium.
Other major producers of this gas are USA, Algeria, Qatar, and Australia.
Major helium consumers are USA and Canada (61% of world consumption combined), Europe (22%), and Asia-Pacific countries (15%), primarily Japan.
Analysts predict that the USA will decrease its helium production from 77 million to 44 million cubic km by 2030.
In the same period, Algeria will step up its output from 23 to 33 million and Qatar from 13 to 14 million cubic km.
By that time, the global production of helium will go down from 157 million to 134 million cubic km, while its consumption will grow from 154 million to 300 million cubic km.
The basic demand for helium is partly driven by the growing manufacture of LCDs.
So, with the current helium recovery and consumption dynamics the shortage of this gas will amount to annual 166 million cubic km by 2030.
A part of the deficit will be made up for using inventories (at present about 3 million cubic km of helium are annually pumped into special underground gas holders).
By 2030, Russia will expand its share in the world helium production up to 35-40% and will be able to compensate for an essential part of the deficit.
In particular, commissioning of new gas fields in Paigin (Evenkia), Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk and Astrakhan regions is expected by that time.
But the most important will be the Kovykta field (Irkutsk area).
By 2030, it will supply 37.6% of the Russian helium.
The construction of a helium liquefaction plant in Sayansk has been already planned.
It will be the second plant of this kind in Russia (the other one operates in Orenburg).
The Kovykta helium will be exported to mainland China, where helium consumption is steadily growing, and through Far Eastern ports to Asia-Pacific countries and USA.
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