The President and CEO of Royal Helium considers the provincial government’s announcement of an action plan to support the helium industry quite meaningful. Andrew Davidson says it’s rare to see a government take a stance like this, supporting the industry right from exploration to export. It usually would happen after the fact.

He believes the action plan is especially welcomed by the exploration sector. For Royal Helium, Davidson says it will help with the capital costs of acquiring the facilities needed to bring everything online to process helium. The company has land throughout southern Saskatchewan and has been drilling near Climax, Weyburn and Estevan.

Davidson explains that helium is critical for the healthcare and high tech industries. It’s used in MRI machines and in building microchips, semi conductors, and fibre optics.

He believes with the government’s support, Saskatchewan could become a major supplier of helium.