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 Ernie Maurier, President of ARJAE Design Solutions Ltd. (Photo Courtesy: Prina Atwal)

Helium recovery plant being built near Brooks, Alberta

Nov 9, 2022 | 2:25 PM

Royal Helium has recently awarded a construction contract to Alberta’s, ARJAE Design Solutions Ltd. to build a helium recovery plant.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to be participating in the helium market, and obviously there is a lot of excitement over the helium generation capacity that we have in the Prairies, and the general opportunity to diversify the economies,” says Ernie Maurier, President of ARJAE Design Solutions Ltd.

The plant will be located in Steveville, 40 kilometers north of Brooks.

And the project is through its engineering phase, materials have been ordered for the long leads, and the manufacturing process is now being started.

Maurier explained what the Steveville Helium Gas Production Facility will be doing . . .

“It’s gonna be taking predominantly nitrogen stream from the reservoir and we’re trying to extract um a small percent of helium that’s in there and purify it to um 99.999 percent pure helium stream.”

Maurier adds they can stop trace hydrocarbons and some CO2 production from being released into the environment through that process as well.

“I believe this is the only helium generation plant in Alberta, or it would be the first one that’s coming online.”

A cost estimate for the project is yet to be provided.