Earlier this month, the European Commission activated its new Energy and Raw Materials Platform to accelerate the rollout of clean hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and electro Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF) across the continent – empowering European industry to efficiently source the energy and raw materials needed to remain competitive. The initiative marks another decisive step toward decarbonization and resource security.

While hydrogen plays a central role in decarbonizing industrial processes, helium quietly sits at the core – poised to experience a surge in derived demand due to its unique and irreplaceable role as a cryogenic refrigerant. The liquefaction of hydrogen, neon, deuterium, and tritium – gases critical to multiple high-growth sectors – is heavily reliant on helium’s unique ability to reach the ultra-low temperatures these gases require.

During liquefaction, helium – though not consumed – is essential. It circulates in a closed-loop refrigeration system as a working fluid, absorbing and transferring heat through compressors, heat exchangers, and expansion turbines to reach temperatures near 20 K (-253°C), where hydrogen condenses into liquid. Liquid nitrogen, which boils at 77 K, can’t achieve this. Helium, with its ultra-low boiling point of 4.2 K (-269°C), provides the thermal performance required – making it the coolant of choice for advanced cryogenic applications.

This principle extends beyond hydrogen. Other gases critical to advanced industry – such as neon, deuterium, and tritium – also rely on helium-based cryogenic refrigeration to reach their liquefaction thresholds. These gases, among others, are essential to rapidly expanding industrial sectors, including semiconductor manufacturing, quantum computing, fusion energy, fertilizer production, methanol synthesis, food processing, pharmaceuticals, lighting, display technologies and even oil refining. As demand in these areas accelerates, so too does the derived demand for helium.

Liquefying gases such as hydrogen, neon, deuterium, and tritium is essential for both transportation logistics and a wide range of advanced scientific and industrial applications. In liquid form, these gases occupy dramatically less volume – making storage and long-distance transport far more practical and economical. Liquefaction also improves purity and handling, enabling contaminants to be removed under controlled conditions. Critically, many high-tech systems – from space propulsion and medical imaging to nuclear fusion and particle physics – require these gases in their liquid state to function. Storing them as cryogenic liquids, rather than under extreme gaseous pressure, also enhances both safety and regulatory compliance. Crucially, helium-enabled cryogenic liquefaction transforms these gases from theoretical resources into operational cornerstones of modern energy, science, and innovation.

Whenever temperatures fall below the reach of liquid nitrogen, helium-based refrigeration is invariably deployed – and remains the industry standard for liquefaction. As Europe continues to develop its hydrogen economy, the derived demand for helium is set to rise in parallel.

Investors tracking the hydrogen market are increasingly looking below the waterline and discovering a critical cryogenic backbone powered by helium. Scarce, un-substitutable, and increasingly strategic, helium is now recognized as a key enabler of hydrogen market development. As a result, aligned investment into cryogenic infrastructure – and the critical inputs that underpin it, primarily helium – is poised for growth.

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