The global helium supply chain vulnerability is becoming apparent, and domestic companies are actively expanding their efforts around helium resource acquisition and other related areas.

Due to factors such as overseas supply disruptions, helium prices have continued to rise in recent days, quickly attracting market attention. According to the latest data from Longzhong Information, the latest domestic bundled helium market price has increased by over 35% compared to last month.

In contrast to short-term price fluctuations, what deserves more attention currently is that, against the backdrop of increasing external supply uncertainties, domestic companies are accelerating their layout around helium resource acquisition, helium production capacity construction, storage and transportation equipment matching, and electronic-grade helium supply guarantee capabilities. Journalists from Securities Daily have learned that several listed companies, including Jiangxi Jiufeng Energy Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Jiufeng Energy”), Jinhong Gas Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Jinhong Gas”), and Hangyang Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Hangyang”), are strengthening their investments.

Some interviewees told Securities Daily that this round of price increases has, to some extent, exposed the vulnerabilities of the global helium supply chain, further highlighting the urgency and practical significance of addressing the shortcomings in the domestic industrial chain, enhancing resilience, and improving the level of self-control.

Multi-Stage Collaborative Advancement

Listed Companies Actively Supplementing and Strengthening the Chain

As a strategic rare gas widely used in fields such as semiconductors, medical imaging, and aerospace, the fluctuation of helium prices not only affects the gas costs and stocking rhythms of downstream enterprises but also leads the capital market to re-examine the supply assurance capabilities of the domestic industrial chain. Currently, listed companies’ layouts in the helium field are no longer limited to traditional trading and distribution links but are advancing collaboratively in resource acquisition, helium production capacity construction, storage and transportation equipment, and terminal supply assurance.

Jiufeng Energy is a representative of the rapidly developing domestic helium production projects. The company stated during an investor interaction that by 2025, based on its existing helium production capacity of 500,000 cubic meters/year in Inner Mongolia, it will complete the construction of a 1 million cubic meters/year helium project in Luzhou, Sichuan, increasing its helium production capacity to 1.5 million cubic meters/year, and gradually entering the ramp-up phase. The company also mentioned that downstream helium applications are actively anchoring aerospace special gas demands and expanding into other application areas.

Jinhong Gas’s approach focuses on “stable overseas gas sources + domestic helium reserves.” A relevant company official stated that they currently have stable overseas helium sources to meet the needs of integrated circuits, LCD panels, and other semiconductor customers, and have penetrated into the medical and industrial fields. At the same time, the company is laying out a flash vapor (BOG) helium production project in Xinjiang, aiming to further broaden gas source options, enhance self-control levels, and reduce costs.

Hangyang’s advantages lie in its equipment and supply chain capabilities. A relevant company official stated that the company has developed large-scale liquid helium storage and transportation equipment independently, directly imports liquid helium, engages in international hazardous materials logistics transportation, and has capabilities for liquid helium terminal applications and electronic-grade helium supply assurance, and has independently developed and mass-produced liquid helium storage tanks that meet international standards, establishing a self-controlled and stable helium supply chain.

In addition, Guangzhou Guanggang Gas Energy Co., Ltd., China Shipbuilding (Handan) Prit Gas Co., Ltd., and Guangdong Huate Gas Co., Ltd. are also solidifying their layouts in their respective links, continuously promoting the construction of the helium supply chain. However, many listed companies also admit that the current helium business accounts for a small proportion of their main business.

Import Dependency Remains

Domestic Breakthroughs Resonating with High-End Demand

From an industry trend perspective, while fluctuations in helium prices may temporarily boost market sentiment, the deeper change lies in the domestic supply system transitioning from a heavy reliance on imports to a diversified and parallel domestic production approach. Data from Longzhong Information indicates that from January to February 2026, the domestic need for imported helium resources has significantly decreased, but import dependency still exists.

Zhan Junhao, a partner at Fuzhou Gongsunce Public Relations Consulting Co., Ltd., told Securities Daily: “This means that domestic enterprises are also intensifying efforts to reconstruct safety boundaries. In summary, there are mainly three feasible paths: one is to accelerate the construction of BOG helium production projects to promote domestic capacity from small to large; another path is to diversify sources to mitigate risks; and further, to accelerate the development of liquid helium storage, transportation, recycling, and electronic-grade application capabilities to enhance helium’s domestic assurance levels in the high-end manufacturing supply chain.”

“Especially against the backdrop of continuous expansion of demand in emerging fields such as semiconductors, advanced processes, commercial aerospace, and nuclear fusion, helium is not just an industrial gas but a key resource with strategic attributes,” Zhan Junhao further analyzed.

Many institutions have also made relatively optimistic predictions about the market outlook. Huatai Securities believes that global helium supply may be tight from 2026 to 2027, while downstream developments in storage, advanced processes, etc., are expected to drive sustained demand. Zhuochuang Information predicts that future helium market supply growth may generally exceed demand growth, but in the short term, price rebounds due to supply fluctuations cannot be ruled out.

Xing Xing, chief economist at Jindonghui Enterprise Management Development (Beijing) Co., Ltd., told Securities Daily that this round of helium price increases has once again heightened market attention to the safety and resource assurance capabilities of the industrial chain. For the relevant listed companies, while short-term price fluctuations will undoubtedly cause some disruptions, what is more important is the continuous improvement of layout around resource acquisition, capacity construction, storage and transportation matching, and high-end applications. As domestic helium production projects gradually ramp up, diversified gas source systems continue to improve, and liquid helium storage, transportation, and recycling capabilities are enhanced, the domestic helium industrial chain is expected to further open up growth space in supplementing and strengthening the chain.

(Source: Securities Daily)