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6 hours ago 4 min read
At a time of instability within the helium market, due to the ongoing Middle East crisis, US helium exploration company Altura Energy is looking to ramp up production in Arizona.
The conflict has significantly disrupted global helium supply and infrastructure, with QatarEnergy noting that plant restoration could take at least three to five years.
Qatar accounts for around a third of the world’s helium supply, and the closure is estimated to remove about 5.2 million cubic metres per month from the global market.
By late March, sharply following disruption in the Middle East, according to industry experts, with early estimates pointing to increases of 50% or more. Now, by mid-April, producers are beginning to respond.
This is putting pressure on exploration companies that have been in early-stage development for months, or even years, to start producing.
Altura Energy has been producing small volumes of helium since 2021 but is now looking to scale up production in response to rising demand and market pressure.
CEO Ashley Lastinger tells gasworld the business will do all it can to support helium supply, but notes that for small producers alone, it’s a big task.
“Small producers, such as Altura, will be trying to ramp up to do what we can to bridge the gap, but the sheer volume of helium that has been [taken offline] is critical,” she says.
Green helium
Once production resumes, Altura Energy will be operating in the green helium space.
Green helium does not contain hydrocarbons, and the only byproduct is nitrogen, meaning the company’s potential helium production at this site will not emit greenhouse gases.
Lastinger explains that in standard wells, where carbon-based carrier gases are present, the output of helium typically has concentrations of less than 1%, requiring producers to rely on associated gas economics.
At Pinta South, however, nitrogen acts as the primary carrier gas, with helium concentrations of between 5% and 8%.
“Concentrations of helium this high essentially mean that we do not have to rely on the economics that come with carbon-based gases as the carrying gas,” she says.
This distinction, she says, is becoming increasingly relevant in the current market, adding that around 90% of global helium supply is tied to LNG processing, which cannot be rapidly scaled in response to supply shocks.
“I foresee an increase in demand for green helium due to the shorter time required to ramp up production and processing compared to conventional methods,” she adds.
Infrastructure development
To accelerate its production timeline, Altura Energy for its Saddle Horse target in the Pinta South helium field in the Holbrook Basin of Arizona earlier this month (April 2026).
The work will bring two existing wells back into production and support the development of four additional wells, forming the next phase of the company’s ramp-up strategy.
Notably, the upgrade will include a pipeline installation to connect the redeveloped wells to the processing plant, alongside upgraded monitoring systems.
“The infrastructure upgrade is critical to the success of Pinta South. Altura can have great wells, but if we do not have the pipeline to get the gas to the processing plant, it doesn’t matter how great the wells are,” Lastinger says.
“As soon as this upgrade is complete, we can bring our production back online.”
Fresh start
Alongside its operational push, the company has also undergone a broader transformation.
Lastinger joined Altura in July 2025, after it rebranded from Total Helium in May 2025.
The rebrand consolidated debts and brought on a new management team, but it also provided the business with a lifeline as a commercially viable helium production company.
“I was brought on in July of 2025 as part of that transition,” Lastinger says. “Last year was spent validating that Altura’s assets not only could be commercial, but also had development upside – and that is exactly what we did.”
“[This year, we] brought on a money-raise to monetize the proven assets, begin our new well development plan, and take a step out and explore a potentially undiscovered field with 2D seismic.”
Lastinger says the second part of its two-year plan is already underway.
With helium markets still tightening, the ability of smaller, independent producers – not just Altura – to bring new supply online will be anticipated in the months ahead.
