--- title: "Mendell Helium highlights 5.34 Bcf resource potential as US designates helium a critical material" publisher: "Share Talk" author: "sharetalk" published: "2026-10-27T07:43:51+00:00" modified: "2026-10-27T07:43:51+00:00" date: 2026-10-27 canonical: "https://www.share-talk.com/mendell-helium-highlights-5-34-bcf-resource-potential-as-us-designates-helium-a-critical-material/" category: "Energy" categories: ["Energy"] tags: ["Carter 2", "Dodge City", "Exxon", "Garden City", "Haskell County", "Helium", "Hugoton gas field", "Kansas", "M3 Helium", "MDH", "Mendell Helium", "Mendell Helium plc", "methane", "Mike Whitlow", "natural gas liquids", "Nick Tulloch", "nitrogen", "Paul Mandel", "Paul Mendell", "Scout Energy Partners", "south-west Kansas", "USA", "VOY", "Voyager Life", "western Kansas", "Wyatt Earp"] image: "https://i0.wp.com/www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/bc8cceb9-b065-4d50-a176-a2f42126bc6c.png?fit=1727%2C911&quality=80&ssl=1" format: "news" language: "en-GB" --- # Mendell Helium highlights 5.34 Bcf resource potential as US designates helium a critical material **Published:** October 27, 2026 **Author:** sharetalk **Categories:** Energy **Tags:** Carter 2, Dodge City, Exxon, Garden City, Haskell County, Helium, Hugoton gas field, Kansas, M3 Helium, MDH, Mendell Helium, Mendell Helium plc, methane, Mike Whitlow, natural gas liquids, Nick Tulloch, nitrogen, Paul Mandel, Paul Mendell, Scout Energy Partners, south-west Kansas, USA, VOY, Voyager Life, western Kansas, Wyatt Earp **Featured image:** ![](https://i0.wp.com/www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/bc8cceb9-b065-4d50-a176-a2f42126bc6c.png?fit=1727%2C911&quality=80&ssl=1) --- [Mendell Helium (LON: MDH)](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/mendell-helium-plc--mdh/us-doe-helium-critical-material-designation/9842387) has welcomed the US Department of Energy’s decision to designate helium as a critical material, highlighting its existing US production operations and plans to expand output from its Fort Dodge project in Kansas. The designation, announced on **23 October 2026 under the Energy Act of 2020**, recognises helium’s strategic importance to semiconductor manufacturing, quantum computing, medical technology and defence applications. Mendell believes the decision reinforces the importance of domestic helium production as the United States seeks to strengthen supply chains and reduce dependence on overseas sources. **Unlike many early-stage helium exploration companies, Mendell has been extracting, processing and selling helium since 2024**, with production activities at its Fort Dodge project and the established Hugoton gas field in Kansas. The company is now preparing a **four-well drilling programme at Fort Dodge**, designed to increase production capacity, improve daily gas flow rates and expand its commercial helium sales. Recent well testing has demonstrated encouraging helium concentrations, with **Rost 1-26 flowing gas containing 5.1% helium and Rost 2-26 recording concentrations of up to 11.5%**. These grades provide evidence of helium-rich gas within the company’s operating area, although sustainable production volumes and commercial recovery rates remain important considerations. **Fort Dodge has an independently evaluated P50 prospective helium resource estimate of 5.34 billion cubic feet**, according to a Competent Person’s Report prepared by Double L Engineering and published in April 2026. The assessment identified a range of **2.12 Bcf at the P90 low estimate to 9.78 Bcf at the P10 high estimate**, reflecting the uncertainty associated with the size and recoverability of the potential resource. Importantly, these figures represent regional prospective resource estimates rather than proved reserves or volumes attributable directly to Mendell’s existing acreage. **Using an illustrative helium price of US$300 per thousand cubic feet, the company calculates a theoretical in-ground value ranging from US$636 million to US$2.93 billion**, with the P50 estimate equivalent to approximately **US$1.60 billion**. These figures are illustrative gross sales calculations rather than project valuations, expected revenues or profits. They do not account for development expenditure, extraction costs, recovery rates or the proportion of resources that may ultimately be commercially recoverable. The independent report also highlighted the possibility of a substantial unconventional helium-enriched nitrogen resource within the broader Fort Dodge region. Its geological assessment considered five analogous wells targeting the same Morrow sands formation, each of which has historically produced between **2 Bcf and 10 Bcf of total gas**. Mendell believes these findings support further exploration and development of its acreage, particularly as additional wells provide more detailed production and geological data. **The planned four-well drilling campaign will focus on expanding the company’s producing well network**, alongside improvements to gas gathering systems, surface processing infrastructure and commercial offloading capacity. Proposed drilling locations have already been identified, with the programme intended to build on the results achieved at Rost 1-26 and Rost 2-26. **Chief Executive Nick Tulloch** described the Department of Energy’s designation as an important development for the US helium industry, reflecting increasing recognition of the need for secure domestic supplies. He noted that helium supply security had been a major discussion point at the recent gasworld Helium Super Summit in Houston. According to Tulloch, **56% of conference delegates surveyed expected only a minority of new helium projects to reach commercial production**, potentially increasing the strategic importance of companies already producing and selling helium. He also reported growing enquiries from potential offtake customers and midstream operators, which management believes reflects strengthening commercial interest in reliable domestic supply. **For investors, Mendell’s existing production activities distinguish it from purely exploration-stage helium businesses**, while the forthcoming drilling campaign offers an opportunity to expand output and assess the commercial potential of its broader Fort Dodge position. However, **the 5.34 Bcf P50 estimate remains prospective**, and the Department of Energy’s critical material designation does not automatically provide funding, guarantee offtake agreements or establish commercial viability. **Attention will now turn to the execution of the four-well drilling programme, sustained helium production rates and expansion of processing and sales capacity**, as Mendell Helium seeks to increase its contribution to the US domestic helium market. --- **Original URL:** https://www.share-talk.com/mendell-helium-highlights-5-34-bcf-resource-potential-as-us-designates-helium-a-critical-material/ *Created by [WP Markdown Endpoint](https://wpmarkdownendpoint.com/)*