Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor from Turkmenistan Allaberdy Ilyasov in an interview with CentralAsia.news told about the strategically advantageous prospects for the production of helium as a product that will ensure the industrial progress of Turkmenistan.

The professor noted that, according to the forecasts of experts, by 2030 the world will have a deficit of helium, so now we should think about increasing its production. Basically, helium is produced during the complex processing of natural gas.

In this regard, Turkmenistan has a colossal potential for the formation of a modern infrastructure for the production of this unique raw material. With the growth in the development of gas fields, Turkmenistan can easily become a leader among the largest producers of helium. In confirmation of his words, the scientist pointed out that the Turkmen state ranks 4th in the world in terms of hydrocarbon reserves.

- Turkmenistan has a huge potential for creating an integrated infrastructure for the production of this gas. The Turkmen state with a stable economy and a developed oil and gas infrastructure could form a set of measures to regulate the production and use of helium-containing natural gas, the scientist said.

In his opinion, possible sources of helium could be the Galkynysh gas field, the Tadjibay prospective area, the Bagtyyarlyk contract area and other equally promising natural gas fields.

- Each of them must be examined for the percentage of helium. Natural gases are practically the only source of raw materials for the industrial production of helium. With the development and development of gas fields, Turkmenistan can take a leading position among the largest producers of helium. The production potential of a highly scarce industrial product in Turkmenistan is determined by the level of its reserves in natural gas fields, - Ilyasov said.

If in the course of research it turns out that the content of helium in any gas field will be very high (0.2 - 0.8% per 1000 cubic meters of natural gas), which is very likely, then it is very promising in the development and production of helium, the scientist believes ...

According to Ilyasov’s words, the first step is to implement a project for a comprehensive study of gas condensate fields, including gas production and processing, creation of an infrastructure for the extraction, storage and supply of helium.

Speaking about potential sales markets, Ilyasov noted that the largest centers of consumption are the USA, China, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, India, Japan, Scandinavian countries, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, the number of countries developing technologies using helium is constantly increasing.

According to analysts, in 2020–2022, as a result of increased consumption and depletion of helium reserves in the world market, there will be a shortage of this gas in the storage facilities of leading manufacturers. The most dynamically developing market is the Asia-Pacific region - the increase in demand for helium in recent years has been 5-10%.

Turkmenistan has practically all natural, technological and human resources in order to become a major global producer of helium and a supplier of this valuable product to the world market, the scientist noted.

The doctor of technical sciences drew attention to the fact that in addition to its wide application in medicine and in industrial spheres, helium is the engine of human progress. The scientist noted the demand for helium in the military-technical, aviation, missile, electronic and nuclear fields.