Canada’s largest helium purification plant opens near Stewart Valley

By Your Southwest Media Group

STEWART VALLEY – Canada’s largest helium purification facility is now operating in southwest Saskatchewan, adding to the province’s lead as the country’s top helium producer.

The North American Helium plant near Stewart Valley will produce about 73 million cubic feet of helium a year. That increases Saskatchewan’s annual output by more than 40 per cent. Helium is used in medical, defence, space exploration and advanced manufacturing processes.

“We are pleased to see the scale of investment North American Helium has made in southern Saskatchewan, particularly in the southwest, over the last number of years,” Energy and Resources Minister Chris Beaudry said. “Facilities like this will be crucial to helping Saskatchewan reach 10 per cent of the global helium supply by 2030, following through on the commitments outlined in our government’s Helium Action Plan.”

North American Helium is Saskatchewan’s largest helium producer. Over the last decade, the company has invested about $700 million and drilled more than 120 wells in the province. Saskatchewan produces more than 95 per cent of Canada’s helium supply.

“Helium is a critical input to industrial processes which cannot pause operations and we are doing our part by bringing on new reliable production to a volatile market plagued by repeated global shortages,” said Nicholas Snyder, the company’s chairman and CEO. “Support from the Saskatchewan Government in the form of the Helium Action Plan and associated incentives make the province a premier destination for new investment in helium exploration and development.”

The province is still pushing Ottawa for federal tax changes that would put helium on equal footing with other critical minerals in Canada. The government says those changes would help bring Canada’s first commercial-scale helium liquefaction facility to Saskatchewan. A liquefaction plant would keep the full helium supply chain inside Canada and open a new export sector.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Energy and Resources held its first Crown Public Offering for Helium and Associated Gases, a competitive process for awarding Crown rights. In 2024, the ministry launched the Critical Minerals Processing Investment Incentive and the Saskatchewan Critical Minerals Innovation Incentive, which offer financial support for critical minerals projects, including helium.