On November 27, in order to better improve the industrial chain and supply chain and actively promote the high-quality development of the helium industry, the "2024 China Helium Industry Innovation and Development Forum and China Helium Industry Innovation and Development Committee Annual Forum" jointly sponsored by the China Industrial Gases Industry Association (hereinafter referred to as: China Gas Association) and China National Petroleum Corporation was held in Beijing. Nearly 200 experts and scholars from more than 60 units including relevant ministries, industries and professional colleges attended the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Pu Chungan, Executive Vice President of the China Gas Association.
Ma Yinchuan, Chairman of the China Gas Association and General Manager of Beijing Shougang Gas Co., Ltd., delivered a speech at the conference. Ma Yinchuan said that the development of new quality productivity is a profound change and transformation for traditional industries. The helium industry is a resource-based and strategic industry that supports and influences the development of new industrialization. How to benchmark and implement the requirements of new quality productivity and promote the innovative development of the helium industry is also a major issue that our industry should pay attention to and think about.
Ma Yinchuan emphasized that helium is a very important substance in the industrial and scientific communities, and will be used in large scientific facilities, quantum computing and other fields in the future. In order to further enhance the key core technologies and collaborative research of the helium industry, improve my country's helium industry chain, and promote the security of my country's helium industry chain supply chain, the China Helium Industry Innovation and Development Committee was established. In the past year since the establishment of the committee, its members have covered the entire industrial chain of helium production, supply, storage, sales, trade and research in my country's helium industry, as well as related equipment and equipment manufacturing companies. This conference not only invited relevant government departments, but also invited units in the entire industrial chain of helium production, supply, storage, sales, trade and research to jointly plan the future of the industry.
Yu Tianzhong, Chairman of the China Helium Industry Innovation and Development Committee and Deputy General Manager of the Development Planning Department of China Petroleum, delivered a speech at the conference, emphasizing the innovation and development of the helium industry in the overall situation. Helium is a rare gas widely used in various fields of national economy and people's livelihood, and is closely related to the high-quality development of the national economy and industry. In recent years, although my country's helium production projects have been continuously built, domestic helium production capacity has continued to rise, and great progress has been made in resource self-sufficiency, the external dependence in 2023 will still reach about 90%. In the midst of two major changes, in order to effectively ensure the independent and controllable supply of national helium, it is urgent to move in the same direction and work together with the upstream, midstream and downstream to jointly build a safe, stable and resilient industrial chain.
Yu Tianzhong pointed out that the innovative development of the helium industry is in the forward-looking establishment and development of the business. In the past year since the establishment of the China Helium Industry Innovation and Development Committee, fruitful results have been achieved in three aspects: gathering momentum to consolidate the chain, accumulating momentum to strengthen the chain, and raising momentum to supplement the chain. Seven sets of helium extraction devices, including Sinopec Dongsheng, Shaanxi Yanchang Phase II, Inner Mongolia Wanrui Phase III, and Shanxi Zefengda, have been put into production, with a total domestic production capacity exceeding 10 million cubic meters/year, and output is expected to reach 3.8 million cubic meters, a year-on-year increase of 40%. CNPC, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Nanjing University of Technology, China University of Petroleum, Sinochem Fuhai, CIMC Sanctum, Nanjing Chenguang Group, Sichuan Air Separation Equipment Group, Anhui Wanrui Refrigeration Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Oxygen Group and other companies jointly tackled the problem and gradually formed a technical system for the entire industrial chain to support the construction of a million cubic meter helium extraction device. In 2024, CNPC and the China Gas Association issued one industry standard, "Design Specifications for Natural Gas Helium Extraction", and 20 group standards, including "Specifications for Determination of Helium Content in Natural Gas", and the standard system was gradually established. Beijing Jingneng Puhua Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., Yuejia Gas Group, Jinhong Gas Company, Sinochem Fuhai, Shanghai Youjiali Special Gas Company, Tianjin Dongxiang Special Gas Company and many other companies rely on the platform to exchange domestic and foreign market situations and external negotiation strategies, and continuously demonstrate synergy effects. Yu Tianzhong said that the innovative development of the helium industry is in the consensus of integrated efforts. We should continue to strengthen communication with upstream companies, make overall plans and coordinate progress, and achieve new breakthroughs in technical fields such as helium resource exploration, low-cost helium extraction, ultra-low temperature equipment and materials; we should continue to do a good job in the review of helium-related group standards, jointly promote the improvement of the standardization level of China's helium industry, and promote better results transformation with a higher professional level. We hope that colleagues in the industry will enhance trust, promote coordination, and carry out cooperation. Import companies will strengthen the exchange of foreign negotiation strategies, find the greatest common divisor of interests, and maximize overall interests; sales companies will strengthen the exchange of supply and demand information, explore potential cooperation opportunities, and achieve "win-win" or even "win-win".
This meeting reviewed the work achievements of the China Helium Industry Innovation and Development Committee in 2024, and looked forward to the work to be carried out in the new year. It announced the new members of the committee and issued letters of appointment. At the same time, it also issued the 2024 helium series group standard certificate.
In the special report sharing session, Wang Chunyan, a senior expert at China Petroleum Planning Institute, gave a speech on "Analysis of the Development Situation of Helium Production, Supply, Storage, Sales, Trade and Research Industry Chain", Liang Chan, vice president of Guangzhou Guanggang Gas Energy Co., Ltd., gave a speech on "Characteristics of Helium Resource Flow in International Trade", Chen Yukai, manager of Longzhong Information, gave a speech on "Analysis of the Current Situation of Helium Production and Demand in my country", Xie Xiujuan, a researcher at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a speech on "The Current Situation and Trend of BOG Helium Extraction Technology", Ren Jizhong, a researcher at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a speech on "The Current Situation of Membrane Technology for Helium Enrichment in Natural Gas", Tao Yupeng, director of Southwest Chemical Research and Design Institute, gave a speech on "Development of Helium Extraction Technology from Synthetic Ammonia Tail Gas", and Wang Xiao, director of the Office of China Petroleum Exploration and Development Research Institute, gave a speech on "The Current Situation of Helium Extraction from Synthetic Ammonia Tail Gas". Bo made a speech on "Helium formation mechanism, accurate content detection technology and application", Haihang, R&D manager of Nantong CIMC Energy Equipment Co., Ltd., made a speech on "Comparison of domestic and foreign technologies and introduction of the use of liquid helium tanks", Chen Jie, deputy general manager of CSSC Pengli (Nanjing) Ultra-low Temperature Technology Co., Ltd., made a speech on "Application of GM refrigerators in natural gas/BOG helium extraction", Dr. Li Zhengyu of Zhongshan Advanced Cryogenic Technology Research Institute made a speech on "Progress and application of large-scale cryogenic helium refrigeration technology", Li Yingke, senior engineer of Southwest Branch of China Petroleum Engineering Construction Co., Ltd., made a speech on "Interpretation of the Design Specifications for Natural Gas Helium Extraction", and Hu Ying, secretary general of the National Gas Standardization Technical Committee, made a speech on "Introduction to the latest developments in my country's helium industry standards". These reports introduced the latest innovative achievements of the helium industry, elaborated on the cutting-edge development trends, and provided guidance for the next step of scientific research and innovative practice as well as the high-quality development of the helium industry.
Pu Chungan finally said that the task of transformation and upgrading of the helium industry is heavy and challenging. The top priority is to give priority support to the helium industry as a strategic emerging industry, build a complete standard and policy system, incorporate it into the national medium- and long-term industrial development plan, and provide stable and effective long-term support in terms of industrial policies, capital investment, resource allocation, incentive mechanisms, etc., to promote the formation of a good environment for the development of the helium industry. The China Helium Industry Innovation and Development Committee will further promote the sustainable and high-quality development of the helium industry.
At the same time, a roundtable salon with the theme of "Joining hands to develop and respond to changes" was also held. Sheng Gang, director of PetroChina International Business Company, served as the host. Liang Chan, vice president of Guangzhou Guanggang Gas Energy Co., Ltd., Kang Lizhong, deputy general manager of Jinhong Gas, Gao Mike, director of Zhongke Fuhai, Yu Xiaona, chairman of Jingneng Puhua, Zhu Yichun, deputy general manager of Yuejia Gas, Meng Xiangtai, chairman of Tianjin Dongxiang, and Chen Yukai, manager of Longzhong Information, and other guests conducted in-depth discussions on three topics: the characteristics of the domestic and foreign helium markets in 2024, the characteristics and future changes of Russian gas helium transactions, and suggestions for the stable and orderly development of my country's helium industry. The guests gave specific and operational suggestions for the stable and orderly development of the helium industry, which pointed out the direction for the development of the industry.