Air Liquide's Perspective on Helium Market Dynamics for 2024
In its latest earnings call, Air Liquide highlighted helium's significance in strategic sectors like medicine, electronics, space, and defence, despite its relatively small contribution of 3% to 4% to the company's sales. Recognising the market's volatility due to limited sources, Air Liquide emphasised its proactive approach to mitigate risks. It prioritises midterm contracts with customers and suppliers, with over 2/3 of sales linked to such agreements. Additionally, the company diversifies helium sources and maintains helium caverns to manage supply-demand variations effectively. While acknowledging the stability of helium prices at a high level in 2024, Air Liquide anticipates a potential volume decrease in H1'24, followed by a pickup driven by the electronics industry in the latter part. Regarding Russian helium sources, Air Liquide underscores their minimal impact, comprising less than 1% of total helium sourcing for the group in 2023.