Caliche Development Partners, Air Products Announce World's Largest Helium Storage Cavern

HOUSTON, Dec. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier today Air Products and Caliche Development Partners confirmed the successful operation and continued service of North America's first helium salt storage cavern (the world's second and now largest).  The announcement was made by Walter L. Nelson, Vice President of Global Helium & Rare Gases for Air Products, during a keynote address given at the Helium Super Summit in Memorial City.  Air Products holds exclusive rights to the He cavern through a long-term storage services agreement.  The new cavern marks Caliche's second to go online in just three years, bringing the company's total capacity at its Beaumont storage complex to 8.0 million barrels.  Creation of a third cavern at the facility is underway.    

"Air Products' contribution of industry-leading helium knowledge combined with trust in Caliche's underground expertise led to truly innovative solutions related to the design challenges of storing such a small and valuable molecule," said Dave Marchese, Chief Executive Officer of Caliche. "Caliche's focus continues to be on fostering customer-centric, long-term relationships, and working through the challenges of storing carbon and hydrogen underground to support a carbon-neutral future."

Caroline Wachtman, Director of Energy Transition & Capital Projects at Caliche, added: "We're committed to growing in a way that builds on our team and partners' unique experience mix.  I'm excited to go out and amplify what we've done via this groundbreaking storage solution for helium with low-carbon projects."

About Caliche Development Partners
Caliche Development Partners is a Houston, Texas-based company focused on the acquisition, development, construction, ownership, and operation of subsurface gas and liquid storage assets in North America, with a primary focus on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Caliche currently owns a 53-acre facility on the Spindletop salt dome near Beaumont, Texas, which has permits for 59 million barrels of cavern storage space. The first-of-its-kind storage complex currently boasts two operational caverns. Additional Beaumont assets include 345 acres of land with 3.5 million barrels of operational brine storage capacity and 12.5 miles of ethylene header pipeline in a right of way crossing multiple regional commodity pipelines. With hydrogen, carbon capture, and sequestration playing a key role in addressing climate change, Caliche is committed to being a regional leader in sustainability. Specifically, the company is exploring the use of its underground storage expertise to support Golden Triangle Area emitters in their energy transition efforts, actively supports new legislation, and sits on the Carbon Neutral Coalition's Advisory Board. For more information, please visit www.CalicheStorage.com.

SOURCE Caliche Development Partners, LLC