Pulsar Helium is gearing up to explore for more helium. The international helium developer said it will this week begin drilling a third well at its helium development site near Babbitt.
A drill rig and support equipment to drill the well, arrives at the site Wednesday, the company said.
“The mobilization of the drill rig signals the start of an exciting new phase at Topaz,” Thomas Abraham- James, Pulsar Helium president and chief executive officer said. “Building on the strong results from Jetstream #1 and #2, this next program is critical in confirming the scale of Minnesota’s helium potential. Each well will bring us closer to quantifying the resources, advancing Topaz toward commercial development, and reinforcing Pulsar’s role in strengthening U.S. helium supply chains.”
Once operations begin on the third well, it will continue on a continuous 24-hour basis using rotating crews, Pulsar Helium said.
Pulsar Helium in 2024 struck helium in a 2,200 foot-deep appraisal well at the site.
The well was drilled about 50 feet away from a hole that Duluth Metals in 2011 found helium while exploring for copper, nickel, cobalt, and platinum group metals.
The Pulsar Helium well, Jetstream #1, was later deepened and a second appraisal well, Jetstream #2 was drilled to 5,638 feet.
Both wells were drilled on private land.
Analysis of both wells show world-class concentrations of helium and exceptional well performance, according to Pulsar Helium. Pulsar Helium recently announced it plans to drill up to 10 new wells at the site.
Th e new wells are designed to further define the geometry, extent, and productivity of the helium- bearing reservoir, Pulsar Helium said.
Pulsar Helium hopes to develop a commercial helium operation from the site.
If developed, it would be Minnesota’s first commercial helium operation.
The company also recently announced it is launching a plant engineering study for the Babbitt site.
Pulsar Helium now holds mineral rights on 4,181 acres of private land at the site.
However, the state of Minnesota does not have any guidelines covering the extraction of gas resources like helium in the state.
Legislation that would have created guidelines did not make it into the final bills of the 2025 Minnesota legislative session, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Lands and Minerals Division.
Pulsar Helium also has a helium project in Greenland called Tunu.
That project is also showing promise, Pulsar Helium has said.
Along with its helium projects, Pulsar Helium has proposed an acquisition of Quantum Hydrogen Inc., a company that holds non-hydrocarbon mineral rights on 59,100 gross acres of land within St. Louis and Itasca counties, according to Pulsar Helium.
Pulsar Helium has offices in Portugal and British Columbia.
