Could a Qatari war zone turn Canada’s prairies into a helium powerhouse?
Roughly 30 percent of global output flows from Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex, Hall noted, and that site has been knocked offline.
“This gives Canada an opportunity, or at least Saskatchewan and Alberta, an opportunity to expand their helium production and boost the global footprint of Canadian helium in the world,” he told the outlet.
The disruption traces to March, when Iranian missile strikes hit Ras Laffan and QatarEnergy declared force majeure, taking about one-third of the world’s helium supply out of the market, as per industrial-gas analysis compiled by Exiger and reporting from Arabian Gulf Business Insight.
Hall expects repairs to run a few years.
Independent assessments vary: consultancy AKAP Energy told AGBI that around 30 percent of Qatar’s volumes, or roughly 11 percent of global supply, could be lost in 2026, while other trade coverage has flagged a portion of Qatari capacity potentially offline for up to five years.
