South Africa's Virginia Gas Project Achieves Stable Liquid Helium Production

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 26, U.S. advanced materials company ASP Isotopes announced that its subsidiary Renergen, through its operating subsidiary Tetra4, has completed commissioning of the Phase 1 facilities at the Virginia Gas Project in South Africa and has officially achieved stable liquid helium production. The first batch of liquid helium product is continuously accumulating in cryogenic storage tanks and is being prepared for delivery to customers under existing offtake agreements. The project is located in the Free State Province of South Africa and encompasses both liquid helium and liquefied natural gas production, with Phase 1 liquid helium design capacity of approximately 70,000 cubic feet per day.

The Phase 1 production facilities at the Virginia Project have transitioned from the commissioning phase to stable operation. Liquid helium product is accumulating in Tetra4's cryogenic storage system, and the company is coordinating with contracted customers on the transportation and delivery of the first batch of product. Renergen plans to continue increasing plant throughput and aims to reach design capacity in the fourth quarter of 2026. The current production progress has been confirmed by the operator, while design capacity remains the target for subsequent operations.

The Phase 1 project combines natural gas resource development with cryogenic gas processing, with design production capacity including approximately 2,500 gigajoules per day of liquefied natural gas and approximately 70,000 cubic feet per day of liquid helium. The project holds South Africa's first onshore petroleum production right and is the country's first integrated facility producing both liquid helium and liquefied natural gas. Renergen holds approximately 94.5% equity interest in the project operating company Tetra4.

On the product sales side, Tetra4 has entered into long-term liquid helium offtake agreements. In June 2026, the company reached a five-year take-or-pay contract with an Asian industrial gas company, covering supply volume of approximately 15% of Phase 1 liquid helium design capacity. Upon completion of the first batch of liquid helium production and storage, the company will proceed with customer deliveries in accordance with existing contracts.