Caliche to develop ‘world’s largest’ helium salt storage cavern
By Molly Burgess – October 30, 2023 (GasWorld) - Caliche Development Partners II (Caliche) has announced plans to construct what it says will be the world’s largest helium salt storage cavern at Golden Triangle Storage (GTS) in Beaumont, Texas.
The landmark project is the second helium cavern in North America, following Caliche’s development and operation of its cavern at Coastal Caverns. It will be the company’s first of five phase of growth at Golden Triangle Storage, made possible under its newly received tax abatement agreements.
Each phase includes utilising one or two of the nine permitted cavern locations, two of which are presently in service in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certificated natural gas storage.
Dave Marchese, CEO at Caliche, said, “Between the recent restrictions by Russia and China on US access to the global helium supply, and the challenges surrounding the Federal Helium Reserve System sale, we believe GTS can help ensure a stable domestic supply for all critical end users.”
As part of GTS’ expansion plans, Caliche has issued an open season and sought authorization from FERC for expansion of its existing facility, identifying two of the permitted caverns for natural gas service.
The company has welcomed inquiries for its permitted and planned wells for hydrogen storage and has begun the Class VI permitting process for CO2 sequestration in recently leased subsurface zones under 4,000 contiguous acres in Jefferson County.
Development & Operations Contact: Darrell Hall – dhall@calichestorage.com
Media Contact: Emily C. Walsh – emily@ecwcommunications.com