Production of helium – used frequently in the medical industry – is set to start next year in the northern Free State as energy investment company, Renergen, starts operating its plant in the small town of Virginia.
This will make South Africa the eighth country in the world to export helium. The R8.4-billion project – a 187 000-hectare area of gas fields spanning Welkom, Virginia and Theunissen – could produce 1 000-1 500 kilograms of helium per day, according to Renergen COO, Nick Mitchell.
