Quantum Helium (AIM:QHE) on Monday highlighted that the US Department of Energy's formal designation of helium as a critical material under the Energy Act of 2020 reinforces the strategic position of its Colorado helium portfolio.
The explorer, which is developing helium and oil resources from the Sagebrush and Coyote Wash projects in Colorado's Four Corners region, holds 1.104 billion cubic feet of independently assessed 2U gross helium resources across the two assets, evaluated by Sproule ERCE.
Using what the company describes as a conservative illustrative helium price of $500 per thousand cubic feet, Quantum Helium said that resource base carries a potential gross sales value of approximately $552 million.
The DOE designation, announced 23 October, recognises helium's role in semiconductor manufacturing, quantum computing, medical imaging and other advanced technologies where the company says no viable substitutes exist, and the department noted that global demand is outpacing production while refining capacity and lengthy permitting timelines constrain domestic US output.
Quantum Helium said the designation may open access to federal funding and support programmes for qualifying domestic helium developers, though it stopped short of confirming any specific application.
The company holds a 90% working interest at Sagebrush and 100% at Coyote Wash, and said it is in discussions over acquiring additional acreage to expand its US helium footprint, with further updates to follow.
Sagebrush-1 has been the operational centre of Quantum Helium's Colorado programme, where an earlier extended production test confirmed helium-bearing gas at roughly 2.5% concentration, strong reservoir connectivity and commercial oil production from the Leadville Formation.
Nine-month gross oil revenue from the Sagebrush project had already exceeded full-year 2025 output by the company's last operational update earlier in October, underscoring the project's shift from testing toward production.
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The company is now in the final stages of securing contractors and service providers for a larger-scale propped fracture stimulation at Sagebrush-1, targeting the Leadville Formation's helium-bearing interval, which remains scheduled for November subject to regulatory approvals and operational scheduling.
"With more than 1.1 billion cubic feet of independently assessed helium resources across our Colorado projects, Quantum is exceptionally well positioned within the growing US focus on securing domestic helium supply," said Howard McLaughlin, chief executive of Quantum Helium.
McLaughlin added that the company was a sponsor of the gasworld Helium Super Summit in Houston last week, where the case for adding helium to the US critical materials list was discussed, "making the Department of Energy's announcement just two days later particularly encouraging."