Gold Hydrogen Ltd. has flagged the potential to accelerate commercial helium development at its Ramsay Project in South Australia, backed by purity results and independent financial modelling.
The Ramsay project has returned exceptional, air-corrected gas purities during exploration, with natural hydrogen testing up to 97 per cent and helium reaching up to 36.9 per cent.
An independent commercial assessment conducted by Worley Consulting indicates that the project could be commercially viable with as few as two production wells, assuming sustained flow rates of approximately 29,000 standard cubic feet (Mscf) per day per well.
Scaling up to a 10-well field design is projected to significantly improve the project’s net present value (NPV) and payback timeline.
The move comes at a critical time for domestic energy security. Australia currently imports 100 per cent of its helium requirements following the closure of the Darwin LNG helium plant in late 2023.
This vulnerability has been heightened by a major supply crunch in the Middle East, where disruptions at Qatar’s Ras Laffan facility have knocked out an estimated 30 to 35 per cent of global supply.
Gold Hydrogen Chairman Alexander Downer said: “Helium currently sits on Australia’s Strategic Materials List, but that is a holding pattern, and the events of recent weeks have laid bare just how exposed Australia is.
“It is time to move helium from the Strategic Materials List back onto Australia’s Critical Minerals List, where it belongs.
“Gold Hydrogen has a unique opportunity, and a responsibility, to help Australia rebuild a sovereign helium capability and to be part of the solution for our allies and trading partners.”
The company is working with Canadian specialist Quantum Technology Corp to source modular, skid-mounted purification plants to process raw well gas into commercial-grade products.
Gold Hydrogen will continue refining its commercial models alongside its next major well flow-testing campaign, which is scheduled to kick off on-site in June 2026.
A successful outcome will clear the path for an accelerated front-end engineering Design (FEED) process.
