Qatargas Operating Company Limited (Qatargas), reached a significant milestone when it loaded the 10,000th cargo of helium from its Helium-2 plant, further demonstrating Qatar's position as one of the leading helium producers and exporters in the world, with a proven record for safety, reliability and quality.
Qatargas is the operator of Qatar's helium production, storage and loading facilities located in Ras Laffan. Currently it operates Helium 1 and 2 plants, which have a combined production capacity of 2.2 billion standard cubic feet (bscf) per year. With the start of the Helium-3 plant in 2021, Qatargas will account for approximately 35% of world helium production with an overall production capacity of 2.6 bscf per year.
Qatargas' Helium 2 Plant, which is the largest helium production facility in the world, started production in June 2013 and the 5000th cargo from Helium 2 was loaded in May 2017. Qatargas also operates the Helium 1 plant, which started production in September 2005.
Helium has high value applications in science, medicine and high-tech industries, including semiconductors, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), space exploration and fibre optics. Global demand for helium is forecasted by the industry to continue to grow at 2-3% per annum.