AI Summary
5 min readCharlie Fitzroy, CEO of Rift Helium, told the Vox Markets Podcast that roughly 40-45% of the world's helium supply is currently offline following two recent incidents: a significant explosion at a major Qatar facility (which accounts for about a third of global helium) and the shutdown of one of Russia's largest helium plants (which produced about 10% of the world's helium in 2025). Unlike other commodities, helium cannot be stockpiled, so this is not a temporary supply overhang that can be released later — it is a straight reduction in available gas. Fitzroy described the situation as "quite staggering" and noted that if a similar percentage of copper supply went offline, the commodity price reaction would be dramatic. Rift Helium, listed in London in April, is now in execution mode on its Tanzanian project and is aiming to become a producer by 2028 or 2029.
The project timeline: EIA, seismic, then drilling
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:20) **Rift Helium enters execution mode** - Charlie Fitzroy outlines the company's shift from listing to active project development in Tanzania.
- 2 (02:17) **Why 3D seismic is a differentiator** - Charlie explains the strategic importance of an extensive 3D seismic survey.
- 3 (03:56) **Tanzania's high-grade helium advantage** - Charlie highlights the quality and strategic location of Rift's project.
- 4 (04:57) **How 3D seismic works** - Charlie explains the low-impact, gold-standard method for gas exploration.
- 5 (06:36) **Resource update from seismic data** - Charlie explains how 3D seismic increases confidence and enables a resource update.
- 6 (07:14) **Global helium supply shock** - Charlie details two major supply disruptions affecting over 40% of world helium.
- 7 (09:25) **Timeline to production** - Charlie outlines a realistic path to first production by 2028-2029.
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Show Notes
Watch on YouTube
Rift Helium listed in London in April, and it’s been all systems go since then. The company is currently working on an environmental impact assessment at its helium project in Tanzania. The EIA is a prelude ti a major seismic campaign planned for later this year, and the results from that will be plugged into planning for a drill programme in 2027. Rift chief executive Charlie Fitzroy joins Vox to tell us more
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