London-listed helium exploration company Helium One Global has reported fresh progress at its Galactica-Pegasus project in Colorado following the signing of a key equipment lease between project partner Blue Star Helium and US energy infrastructure group Kinder Morgan.
Helium One, which holds a 50 per cent working interest in the Galactica Project, said the latest development marks a major step forward for the venture as it advances toward first production of helium and carbon dioxide by December 2025.
Blue Star Helium, the project operator and joint-venture partner, confirmed that its subsidiary, BNL (Enterprise) Inc., has signed a lease agreement with Kinder Morgan Treating LP for the supply of carbon dioxide processing equipment.
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The lease, which has an initial two-year term and renews automatically unless terminated with 30 days’ notice, secures access to a 300-gallon-per-minute amine plant, including a flash tank, amine contactor, gas filter separator and outlet scrubber.
The unit will enable the processing of up to 4.2 million cubic feet of raw gas per day, with capacity to produce as much as 37,000 tonnes of high-purity carbon dioxide annually. The equipment forms a central part of the Galactica development’s gas-handling and separation process, in which carbon dioxide is extracted prior to helium recovery.
Leading North American infrastructure operator
Kinder Morgan, listed on the New York Stock Exchange NYSE:KMI, is among North America’s leading energy infrastructure operators and the continent’s largest transporter of CO₂. The company has decades of experience in gas processing, enhanced oil recovery and the rapidly growing carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) sector. Its involvement in the Galactica project provides both technical expertise and operational credibility to the development.
Helium One said that foundational work on the Colorado project is nearing completion and that construction of the gas gathering system is scheduled to begin this month. Design of the network is largely complete, and installation of key processing and pipeline components is expected to commence shortly.
The group reiterated that the project remains on schedule, with commissioning and first helium production targeted for December 2025, and first commercial carbon dioxide sales expected in the first half of 2026. Once initial gas is produced, CO₂ will be removed via the amine plant ahead of helium separation in the helium recovery unit. A helium-enriched stream will then pass through the HRU for final purification, while the carbon dioxide will be processed into a saleable liquid form.
Helium One expects gradual ramp up furing H1 2026
Helium One added that the plant is expected to ramp up gradually during the first half of 2026 as additional wells are tied into the system, supporting a steady increase in throughput and revenue generation.
The Galactica project forms part of Helium One’s dual strategy to establish itself as a leading helium producer, combining its flagship Rukwa project in Tanzania with a US-based development in one of the world’s most established energy-producing regions.
Helium is a critical industrial gas used in sectors ranging from semiconductor manufacturing and medical imaging to space and defence. Demand has grown sharply in recent years amid tightening global supply and geopolitical disruptions to traditional helium sources in the US and Russia.
By partnering with established operators such as Blue Star and Kinder Morgan, Helium One is seeking to accelerate its transition from explorer to producer, capitalising on the growing strategic importance of helium in high-technology and clean-energy industries.
