Today we are talking about helium, the second-most abundant element in the universe (after hydrogen). If it wasn’t for the effect helium has on your voice, you might not even know it was there: it has no taste, no smell and no colour. It is inert and non-toxic. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need it.
While there may be plenty of it up in the universe, down here on Earth there is a shortage. Being so light, helium, when liberated, tends to rise out of human hands, so it is considered one of the Earth’s only nonrenewable elements. This has seen the price of the noble gas rise to all-time highs.
It is difficult to gauge the price as there is no spot market. Most contracts are private and price is dependent on purity. But prices seem to range enormously. Per thousand cubic feet (mcf) I have read of trades as low as $500/mcf all the way to $3,000/mcf. Purity,
