The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) added helium to its Critical Material List on Oct. 23, citing supply constraints and the gas’s role in semiconductor production and other essential uses.
DOE said worldwide helium demand is growing faster than production, while the United States has significant deposits of helium-rich natural gas. Limited refining capacity and lengthy permitting timelines constrain domestic output, according to the department. DOE framed the listing as a response to those supply-chain vulnerabilities.
The department’s notice lists semiconductor manufacturing, leak testing on natural-gas infrastructure and quantum computing as activities for which helium has no substitute. It also names medical and scientific uses. DOE’s broader materials assessment considers supply risk and a material’s importance to energy technologies, including demand and substitutability.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said helium is “essential to producing the semiconductors and advanced technologies that power our economy.” DOE said it expects the listing to improve helium supply access for U.S. manufacturers and contribute to domestic manufacturing and employment goals.
Under the Energy Act of 2020, a nonfuel mineral, element, substance or material may qualify as critical if the energy secretary finds it vulnerable to high supply-chain disruption risk and essential to an energy technology. The law also includes critical minerals designated by the Interior secretary.
DOE’s notice records that the department published its 2023 Critical Materials List on Aug. 4, 2023, and added metallurgical grade coal for steelmaking on May 22, 2025.
Audrey Robertson, assistant secretary (EERE) for Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, signed the helium notice on Oct. 21 under authority delegated by the energy secretary. DOE’s online copy says the notice will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register and that the Federal Register text controls if the versions differ.
