A warning from Ras Laffan The Middle East is usually described as the engine room of the hydrocarbon economy. But it also sits quietly inside the infrastructure of the digital age. When conflict di…
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A warning from Ras Laffan
The Middle East is usually described as the engine room of the hydrocarbon economy. But it also sits quietly inside the infrastructure of the digital age. When conflict disrupted natural-gas processing in Qatar in March 2026, international attention focused on liquefied natural gas. Another, less visible supply chain was also shaken: helium.
Ian Sample hears about the uses of helium, and its fragile supply chain, from co-host Madeleine Finlay and Sophia Hayes,…
War with Iran and strikes on Qatar gas facilities have driven a global helium shortage, doubling prices and intensifying search…
Supply allocations are being set by who needs the gas the most. Semiconductors are at the "top of the pecking order," said helium…
By Giulia Petroni and Mauro Orru
Helium is needed in health care and to make microchips and semiconductors, but the Middle East war has affected supply. Some…
Iran's Strike on Qatar's Gas Facility Could Disrupt Global Energy and Tech Supply Chains by Affecting Helium Production. Qatar…
