Access to US helium system could be impacted if
operation-critical lease of the CHEU is not extended
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Aug. 7, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- This afternoon, the 108th District
Court in Amarillo, Texas granted
Messer Helium Cliffside LLC's (MHC) request for a temporary
restraining order (TRO) to prevent the imminent shutdown of the
former federal Helium System that MHC recently acquired from the US
Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Court's order will permit MHC
to continue operating the Crude Helium Enrichment Unit (CHEU) owned
by Cliffside Refiners LP (CRLP) after the current lease between
CRLP and the BLM ends on August 11,
2024.
The CHEU is the central piece of machinery that extracts and
processes helium from the Helium System. Without access to the
CHEU, the Helium System would be forced to shut down.
The TRO allows the continued operation of the CHEU after
August 11, avoiding imminent
disruption in domestic helium supply. The Court ordered MHC and
CRLP to appear before him on August 23,
2024, at which time the Court will decide whether to grant
MHC a preliminary injunction to give time to negotiate a new lease
with the CRLP in good faith.
Two of the three CRLP partners support allowing MHC continued
access to the CHEU. Despite diligent efforts, MHC has been unable
to reach a reasonable commercial solution with the third partner,
Air Products. By impeding MHC's ability to operate the CHEU, Air
Products could deprive numerous third parties access to their
privately owned helium stored in the System.
MHC welcomes the opportunity to explain to the Court at the
upcoming hearing why its continued access to the CHEU is critical
to protect the stability of the domestic helium market and the
needs of helium users in several major industrial sectors.
"Without helium, MRI machines cannot run, semiconductor chips
cannot be made, and space rockets cannot launch. Not to mention,
national defense and economic security could be impacted, as the
largest foreign suppliers of helium (Qatar and Russia) are subject to disruption by
geopolitical events and trade restrictions," said Chris Ebeling, Messer's Executive Vice
President, Sales & Marketing, North
America.
As a leading supplier of helium, Messer is committed to
providing a safe, dependable and continuous supply of this valuable
gas that plays a pivotal role in the nation's health and security.
Messer has operated the CHEU safely and reliably over the past two
years while under contract with the BLM.
About Messer
Messer is the largest privately held industrial gas business in
the world and a leading industrial and medical gas company in
North America, South America, Asia and Europe. Messer offers more than 125 years of
expertise in industrial, medical, specialty and electronics gases.
The company delivers quality gases, related services and technology
via an extensive production and distribution network. Health and
safety, sustainability practices and environmental protection are
core Messer values that are embedded in the company's daily
operations. Messer Americas sales account approximately for 52% of
Messer worldwide sales of $4.7 billion
USD. For more information, visit:
www.messeramericas.com.
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SOURCE Messer North America,
Inc.