Jul 26, 20222 min
Updated: Jul 31, 2022
Iran has inaugurated its pilot helium production plant. Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, in his public statement has mentioned that it has been a 10-year effort by the experts at Sharif University of Technology to acquire and develop this technology that has finally enabled Iran to produce helium domestically. Iran will now be able to reduce its dependence on imports. There are no details on the volumes of helium that will come out of the pilot plant. Iran also last week signed a US$40bn deal with Russia to increase gas and LNG output.
Original Article
The unveiling ceremony was held on the sidelines of Board of Trustees of Sharif University of Technology with the participation of First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology and chancellor of Sharif University of Technology.
Emphasizing that taking advantage of high potentials and capacities of knowledge-based companies is one of the basic strategies followed up seriously at the 13th government under President Raeisi to solve problems facing the country, Mokhber stated that the government is determined to solve problems facing the country with the help of talented and expert youth of the country.
Describing the pilot plant for the production of helium gas and LNG by knowledge-based companies and university graduates as an appreciable and a commendable action, he said that this technology was possessed by the European and American countries and now, Islamic Republic of Iran could join the club of countries possessing technology for producing helium and LNG.
Due to its unique properties, helium is a strategic material in the world which is applicable in the fields of health, oil and gas, advanced materials, space, etc., he said, adding that in spite of huge resources in South Pars Gas Field, helium needed in the country was completely imported in the previous years and with the imposition of imposition of cruel sanctions, import of this product halted in the country and consequently, many industries sustained severe damages.
After helium was prevented to be imported into the country due to sanctions, experts and talented youth of Sharif University of Technology, after a ten-year nonstop effort, succeeded in acquiring the knowledge and technical know-how needed to obtain helium with a purity of 99.999% and LNG, which is a liquid natural gas, Mokhber underlined.
Experts expressed hope that due to the existence of suitable primary resources in South Pars Gas Field and acquisition of technical know-how of helium separation, in addition to meeting domestic demands by launching helium production units, exporting this product and turning Iran into a production and export hub of helium would be possible.