Supply Shock Sharpens Investor Focus on Altura Energy’s Helium Play

• Altura Energy is advancing a North American helium story as global supply shocks tighten a US$3.9 billion market forecast to reach US$7.5 billion by 2034, driven by semiconductors, MRI systems, aerospace, and AI infrastructure.
• The company’s 15,594-acre Pinta South Helium Field gives investors exposure to existing wells, processing access, high-grade helium concentrations, and a funded plan to bring production back online.
• As the Iran conflict magnifies the fragility of global helium supply, Altura is emerging as a timely North American helium play with high-grade Arizona assets and near-term catalysts.

“We are working with existing wells, known helium shows, access to processing and a development plan that starts with practical field work”
— Ashley Lastinger, CEO

For years, helium sat in the background of the global economy, essential to modern technology but largely ignored by investors who saw it as little more than a niche industrial gas tied to party balloons or lab equipment.

That changed as semiconductors, MRI systems, fibre optics, aerospace, defence technology, and AI infrastructure became more dependent on the gas, which is essential, scarce, difficult to replace, and vulnerable to supply shocks.

Recent disruptions at Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex, tied to the Iran conflict, have exposed just how fragile the helium chain has become. Qatar accounts for roughly 30% of global supply, and the trouble there has moved quickly through the market, forcing volume allocations and tightening availability.

It has also brought fresh attention to secure North American sources like the Arizona helium position Altura Energy is advancing, one that is backed by existing wells, processing access, high-grade helium concentrations, and a funded plan to bring more production online.

“We are working with existing wells, known helium shows, access to processing and a development plan that starts with practical field work,” said Altura’s CEO, Ashley Lastinger, who has a background in petroleum engineering spanning over 18 years.

Altura’s core asset is the 15,594-acre Pinta South Helium Field in Arizona’s Holbrook Basin, which is divided into four project areas: Saddle Horse Draw, Navajo Springs, Ninemile, and Puerco Ridge.

That gives Altura a mix of near-term production work, development drilling and higher-impact exploration upside in a global helium market estimated at US$3.9 billion in 2024 and forecast to reach about US$7.5 billion by 2034.

For Lastinger, Saddle Horse Draw is where Altura can start proving the company’s reset story to the market by recompleting and restarting wells that have already shown production capability. Two wells have already been successfully recompleted, two more have shown good pressure and flow rates and need tubing installed, and another two are planned for recompletion.

“Saddle Horse Draw is where the existing wells that we operated were drilled,” she said. “We’re in the process right now of reinstalling a pipeline. We’re about 70% done with that. That’ll be done here in the next couple weeks.”

Once that pipeline work is complete, the plan is to bring the first two recompleted wells back online, then move through the rest of the workover program.

 “We’ve got four more wells that we will do workovers on, and so that’ll be six wells total that will come online this year for Saddle Horse Draw.”

At Navajo Springs, Altura already has non-operated exposure to two producing helium wells and 100% working interest in surrounding acreage.

The two non-operated wells have been producing since 2021 and have helped validate the broader helium system. Altura says the wells are producing at 45 and 60 Mcf/d, with helium content ranging from 7% to 8%, and have generated more than $11 million in helium sales.

“We have 100% working interest in the surrounding acreage offsetting these wells, which will be where we focus our new well drilling program,” she said. “The upside here is tremendous.”

That upside includes the potential for up to 64 wells in the primary formation, based on 40-acre spacing. 

The third area, Ninemile, is part of the broader Pinta South Helium Field land package. It is less central to the immediate 2026 work plan but adds to the scale of Altura’s Arizona position.

The fourth area is Puerco Ridge, where Altura sees the potential for a larger helium structure. Existing well control and older data suggest helium potential, while planned 2D seismic is designed to confirm the size and shape of the structure.

“We know from past wells that are currently abandoned that there was helium potential down there. We just don’t know how large the structure is.”

Together, the four project areas give Altura a layered helium story. Saddle Horse Draw is about near-term production. Navajo Springs is about development around existing output. Ninemile adds land position within the broader field. Puerco Ridge brings the larger exploration upside.

That mix is central to the investment case because it gives Altura more than one way to create value.

 “As soon as we get production online, it will be the first step in really showing the market that we’re doing exactly what we said we would,” said Lastinger.

Charting Altura Energy

TSXV: ALTU | OTCQB: ALTUF

1. As of market open on Monday, May 11, 2026.
2. As of market open on Monday, April 13 after being selected as a Top Pick at the 2026 CEM Scottsdale Capital Event.

Following Altura’s first Top Pick accolade from the Investor Breakout Exchange held at the CEM Scottsdale Capital Event, CEO Ashley Lastinger discussed the company’s helium opportunity, Arizona assets, and next key milestones.

Why is helium getting more attention from investors right now?

“The AI boom has taken off and it will continue to grow, and that means more semiconductor manufacturing. Helium is used in chip production, specifically in the cooling of silicon wafers during the manufacturing process. It is also critical in healthcare. Helium is used in MRI machines because it cools the superconducting magnets after the image is taken. That demand is growing as developing nations build out their healthcare systems and add more medical imaging capacity.

Aerospace and defence are also part of the story. A recent U.S. rocket launch used about US$1.5 million of helium just for fuel tanks and line purging. So, this is not just one market. Helium is tied to chips, healthcare, aerospace, fibre optics, leak detection, and other advanced technologies.

At the same time, supply is tight. Helium cannot be synthesized, has few substitutes in critical uses and is found in recoverable quantities in only a limited number of places. Demand is rising, supply is constrained, and geopolitics has made secure North American helium supply much more important.”

What makes Altura different from other junior helium stories investors may be seeing right now?

“A lot of helium stories are still built around the idea of finding something. We’re in a different position because we already have wells, production history and processing access. The opportunity for us is to go back into an asset that we believe was not properly developed the first time and apply the right technical expertise.

This is a very conventional type of field from an oil and gas perspective. The helium is high grade, the carrier gas is nitrogen, and we’re not dealing with a hydrocarbon-heavy stream. That makes the first phase much more straightforward. For us, the focus is fixing what needs to be fixed, getting production back online and showing the market that the asset is real.”

What should investors watch over the next year as proof that Altura is executing?

“The first thing is the pipeline work being completed. Then investors should watch for the return to production of the first two recompleted wells. After that, the next four workovers are important because they show whether we can repeat that process across Saddle Horse Draw.

From there, the market should look for movement on the Navajo Springs drilling opportunity and the start and results of the 2D seismic program at Puerco Ridge. Those are the milestones that matter. The goal is to show, step by step, that we can take this from a reset story into a production and growth story.”

Our View

• Altura is arriving at the right moment.
  Helium has become a supply-security story, not just an industrial gas story. The market needs reliable sources for chips, MRI systems, aerospace, and fibre optics, and recent pressure on Qatar supply has made North American helium more strategic.
• The story is strongest because it starts with execution.
  Altura is not asking investors to wait for a first discovery. Saddle Horse Draw gives the company a near-term chance to prove the plan through pipeline work, recompletions, and the return of operated production.
• The upside has more than one path.
  Navajo Springs gives Altura development potential around existing production, while Puerco Ridge adds a higher-impact exploration catalyst. If the company delivers on the early production work, the market may begin to value Altura as a broader helium platform rather than a single-asset junior.

Upcoming 

Bermuda Capital Event

June 12–14, 2026

CEM now turns to the 3rd Annual Bermuda Capital Event, which will be held June 12–14 at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess & Beach Club. The event will once again connect growth-stage issuers in resources, technology, biotech, and special situations with active senior capital markets professionals through a full day of scheduled one-on-one meetings

Warm Regards and Happy Investing,
Fabian Dawson

Weekly Insight

Each week, CEM Partner and Portfolio Manager Ryan Iverson spotlights the ideas and companies sparking investor interest from emerging growth stories to the Top Picks featured across CEM’s Capital Events. This series brings real insights from the innovators shaping tomorrow’s markets and reveals where investors are finding the next breakout opportunities.

Stay informed. Stay ahead. Stay with the Investor Breakout Exchange:
X | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok