A northeastern Minnesota helium exploration project is generating more positive results.
Pulsar Helium Inc., has completed drilling its sixth appraisal well at its project site with drilling of a seventh well underway, the company said.
All of the wells have struck world-class concentrations of helium, Pulsar Helium said. “A total of six appraisal wells have been drilled at Topaz, all of which intersected pressurized gas, representing a 100% success rate to date and supporting the geological model for the project,” the company said in a news release. “Ongoing technical work continues to generate encouraging data and is focused on expanding the Company’s understanding of the resource through further appraisal, testing and analysis. With a significant acreage position and multiple identified targets, Topaz represents a core asset within the Company’s portfolio and underpins its strategy to build exposure to high-value industrial and specialty gas markets.”
Pulsar Helium first struck helium at the site in early 2025.
Each of the appraisal wells drilled at the site has found potentially saleable concentrations of helium, helium-3 and carbon dioxide, according to the company.
Helium-3 is a rare isotope of helium with strategic applications in national security, quantum computing and advanced energy technologies, 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.
It would also mean development of another of northeastern Minnesota’s vast natural resources.
The sixth well, Jetstream #6, was drilled to a depth of 2,597 feet, encountering multiple pressurized gas intervals, the company said.
A drill rig has now been mobilized to the site of its seventh well, Jetstream #7, where surface casing has been set, cemented and drilling is underway, according to the company.
Jetstream #7 is being drilled to a total depth of 3,000 feet with potential to deepen it to 5,000 feet, the company said.
The well is 2.2 miles northwest of the company’s first well drilled at the site, Jetstream #1, making it a significant step-out appraisal well, according to the company.
Pulsar Helium has said it plans to drill up to 10 appraisal wells at the site.
In addition to its exploration campaign, a 2D seismic acquisition program has been completed at the site, Pulsar Helium said.
The program includes a total of five seismic lines spanning 41.5 miles, the company said.
The survey is to further define the subsurface of the Topaz project reservoir and support ongoing resource assessment and future drilling target definition, according to the company.
The program utilized low-impact seismic techniques, deploying Vibroseis energy sources and wireless geophone nodes to generate high-resolution cross-sectional images of the subsurface beneath each survey line, the company said.
Pulsar Helium holds mineral rights on 4,181 acres of private land at the Topaz site.
All of the wells are drilled on private land.
Pulsar Helium’s first appraisal well at the site was drilled about 50 feet away from a Duluth Metals drill hole that in 2011 struck helium while exploring for copper and nickel.
Pulsar Helium has offices in Portugal and British Columbia.
It also has a helium project in Greenland called Tunu.
