Construction at Helium Evolution’s Saskatchewan processing plant nearly complete

[Ben Graham]

Helium Evolution (TSXV:HEVI)  a Canadian explorer developing assets in southern Saskatchewan, announced this week construction at its planned 12 million standard cubic feet per day helium processing facility in the Mankota area is in its final stages of construction, now more than 95% complete. 

The estimated total cost for HEVI’s 20% working interest share of the Soda Lake Facility is approximately C$5.2 million ($3.8m). 

The Soda Lake Facility is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2025 and will initially tie-in three helium wells through a dedicated pipeline gathering system, the company said.  

Helium’s most critical applications are in medical imaging, where liquid helium cools superconducting magnets, and semiconductor manufacturing. It is exclusively a byproduct of natural gas mining, but new large helium deposits are becoming fewer and farther between.  

The US began mining it in earnest in 1915, when the U.S. Army built the first helium extraction plant at the Petrolia Oilfield in North Texas.

“The addition of the Soda Lake Facility marks a transformational milestone for Helium Evolution,” CEO Greg Robb said in a May news release. “This strategic infrastructure unlocks long-term value from our Mankota assets and reinforces our confidence in the region’s helium potential.” 

Construction of the wellsite metering facilities and associated pipeline infrastructure to the Soda Lake Facility is underway and is expected to take approximately one month to complete. Startup of the purification facility and connected wells remains on track for early in the fourth quarter of 2025, the company said on Thursday.