Gold Hydrogen Reports First Bottling of Purified Helium from Ramsay 1 Exploration Well

Energy explorer Gold Hydrogen (ASX: GHY) has confirmed that helium has been flowed to surface, separated, purified, and bottled from a gross gas stream at the Ramsay 1 natural hydrogen and helium well within the Ramsay project in South Australia.

Testing was conducted at the well’s designed pumping rate of up to 2,000 barrels of fluid and gas per day, with the captured helium used for proof-of-concept purposes.

These included onsite demonstrations such as gas bottling and the filling of industrial balloons.

The Ramsay 1 purification test is an Australian-first since the closure of the country’s only helium production plant at Darwin in late-2023 and the start of helium imports.

Canadian Purification Technology

The first flow test conducted under Gold Hydrogen’s 2026 campaign focused on determining the helium’s suitability for purification from the well’s separator outlet gas stream, which comprises predominantly helium, nitrogen and natural hydrogen.

It employed a purification system supplied by Quantum Technology Corporation in Canada which was able to enrich and capture the helium, allowing it to be stored in onsite cylinders and used for onsite demonstrations.

Gas samples are to undergo compositional and isotopic analysis, including for Helium and Helium-3, in collaboration with CSIRO and Oxford University.

Ramsay 1 will now be converted to a re-injection well to support the remainder of the 2026 flow testing program.

Re-Establishing Domestic Production

Managing director Neil McDonald said the Ramsay 1 test marked an important step towards re-establishing domestic helium production.

“Flowing helium at Ramsay 1, separating it from the gas stream, concentrating it at surface with the Quantum system, and bottling it is a milestone for us and for Australia,” he said.

“Achieving this at our well using low-end pumping rates at minimal incremental well cost, while still achieving [our] initial campaign objectives is an outstanding outcome.”

“This gives us operational experience and equipment confidence before the zonal testing program commences at Ramsay 2 and 3—we look forward to reporting the laboratory results, flow test data, and outcomes of the broader campaign in the coming weeks.”

Gold Hydrogen plans to gradually increase pumping rates from Ramsay 3 toward 20,000 barrels of fluid and gas per day.