Caliche Underway to Establish the Largest Helium Salt Storage at GTS, Texas

Caliche Development Partners II, commonly referred to as Caliche, is set to undertake an ambitious project, aiming to establish the largest helium salt storage cavern globally at Golden Triangle Storage (GTS) situated in Beaumont, Texas. This pioneering endeavor is not the company's first venture into the field; it marks North America's second helium cavern, following in the footsteps of Caliche's previous development at Coastal Caverns.

The GTS project represents the commencement of Caliche's ambitious five-phase growth plan at the Golden Triangle Storage. This expansion has been made feasible due to the recently acquired tax abatement agreements. The structured growth phases will involve the utilization of one or two caverns out of the nine sanctioned locations. Currently, two of these caverns are actively being used for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certified natural gas storage.

Shedding light on the importance and strategic timing of this initiative, Dave Marchese, the CEO of Caliche, expressed concerns over recent geopolitical constraints. He pointed out the restrictions imposed by significant players like Russia and China on US access to the global helium supply. Coupled with challenges around the Federal Helium Reserve System sale, Marchese firmly believes that the GTS project will play a pivotal role in assuring a consistent domestic helium supply, catering to all crucial end-users.

But the company's vision for GTS goes beyond helium storage. Caliche has initiated an open season and is seeking FERC's approval to expand its existing storage facility. The plan involves designating two of the approved caverns specifically for natural gas services. Furthermore, in alignment with the growing emphasis on sustainable energy solutions, Caliche has also expressed interest in hydrogen storage.

The company is actively inviting inquiries related to its sanctioned and future wells for hydrogen storage. In addition, Caliche has embarked on the Class VI permitting process aimed at CO2 sequestration. This initiative will focus on newly acquired subsurface zones spread across an impressive 4,000 contiguous acres in Jefferson County.

According to the article by Procurement Resource, Caliche Development Partners II is spearheading a project to build the world's largest helium salt storage cavern at Golden Triangle Storage in Beaumont, Texas. Following their prior development at Coastal Caverns, this project is the onset of a five-phase expansion at the site. Enabled by recent tax abatement agreements, it will utilize select caverns from the nine approved locations, with two currently storing natural gas. CEO Dave Marchese stresses this development's importance, citing geopolitical challenges in accessing global helium. Moreover, Caliche seeks to expand its storage offerings, venturing into natural gas, hydrogen, and even CO2 sequestration over 4,000 acres in Jefferson County.