One of Russia’s longest-running helium production sites has reportedly been targeted in a Ukrainian long-range strike after drones attacked the integrated Orenburg gas processing and helium complex.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said the overnight strike targeted both the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant and the adjacent Orenburg Helium Plant, with videos circulating on social media appearing to show fires at the site.
The extent of any damage has not been confirmed but is likely to be of “some consequence” to Russia’s energy markets, according to helium consultant Richard Brook.
“This is the smallest of Russia’s helium producing facilities but still of some consequence. That is to say, if the damage is confirmed,” he said in a LinkedIn post.
The gas processing plant is one of Russia’s largest, with capacity to process up to 45 billion cubic metres of gas annually, around 6% of the country’s total gas production.
The adjoining helium plant produces about 8.8 million cubic metres of helium each year, making it one of Russia’s established domestic helium production facilities.
While dwarfed by the Amur Gas Processing Plant in eastern Russia, Orenburg remains an important domestic source of helium and a longstanding component of Gazprom’s gas processing infrastructure.
The extent of the damage is currently unknown but intense fires were captured at the site ©t.me/GeneralStaffZSU
The country produces around 17 million cubic metres of helium per year. This makes it the third-largest helium producer in the world, accounting for roughly 9.5% to 10% of the global supply, sitting behind the US and Qatar.
Before the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia’s overall export volumes were depressed due to extended facility outages, namely a massive 20-month plant fire at Amur in 2021.
Following the 2022 invasion, two of three Amur plant helium lines were fully operational and by 2025 the country produced around 20 million cubic metres of helium.
Domestic consumption accounted for only around four million cubic metres, leading the country to flood non-sanctioned markets such as China with its surplus.
This has led to China importing more helium than it needs before into international markets.
Following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict earlier this year, the Russian government quickly imposed temporary export controls. Effective until the end of 2027, Russia restricted helium exports outside the Eurasian Economic Union to require special permission from top officials.
