It's a global issue that could soon disrupt every industry from technology to medicine and much more.
With the global supply of one commodity at its lowest level in years... while demand is spiking to all-time highs...
It could send prices for this much-needed resource higher yet.
Already, prices had been steadily climbing in recent years.
Source: Bureau of Land Management, USGS
But one small company, Avanti Energy (TSX: AVN.V; US OTC: ARGYF), has seen its share price increase more than 2.5x over just the last few months.
Those recent gains are greater than many of those companies filling the headlines today.
Now, an event set to take place in September 2021 has the potential to send helium prices to the next level.
That's when the global supply of this rare gas could nosedive by as much as 10%.
And that's why some of the biggest media outlets in the world are finally starting to take notice.
Forbes is saying, "Helium is soaring on red-hot demand, shrinking supply."
CNBC points out, "The worldwide helium shortage affects everything from MRIs to rockets."
And the Wall Street Journal is saying, "The gas is crucial in high-tech and medical device manufacturing [...] operations."
With top media outlets now turning their attention to this supply squeeze, it’s clear that the world is facing a potential shortage.
You see, helium is about far more than party balloons.
Big Tech companies like Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, and many others all rely heavily on this valuable gas.
Because it has the lowest boiling point of any element, it can bring temperatures to lower levels than even liquid nitrogen.
That's incredibly important when you're keeping electronics from overheating.
1) This is crucial for Big Tech’s data centers, as they run around the clock, crunching more data than ever.
2) It's essential for creating computer chips we rely on in every computer and smartphone we own.
3) And the health sector requires them to cool the magnets inside MRI machines.
Helium even plays a critical role in space exploration, quantum computing, and nuclear power.
In today's high-tech era, it's needed nearly everywhere you look.
That's why it's such a concern that supply levels are reducing to the lowest level we've seen in years.
Those in the medical field even went as far as to ask balloon retailers to give up 10% of the helium supply recently to help address the shortage.
If helium levels run out altogether, the effects could be very expensive.
Imagine the impact on fiber optic cables for high speed internet. On cell phones or computers. On MRIs. And even on airbags for our cars.
That’s why this precious gas is now much more valuable than natural gas, at prices of $14.6/Mcf versus just $2.80/Mcf.
And that's great news for little-known helium exploration companies like Avanti (TSX: AVN.V; US OTC: ARGYF).
The junior mining company has already seen shares soar over 2.5x in just three months.
Source: Beacon Securities Limited
But with the looming deadline of the September 2021 event, Avanti Energy (TSX: AVN.V; US OTC: ARGYF) seems to be on the right track.
World-Class Team Jumping On A Massive Opportunity
Avanti recently acquired the license for 6,000+ acres of land in Alberta, Canada that the experienced team says is highly prospective for helium.
Source: Beacon Securities Limited
Around the world, most of the largest supplies of helium have had one thing in common.
They were discovered in areas where there's been drilling for natural gas.
That’s a major reason why Avanti has targeted the site where the government of Alberta previously explored for oil and gas wells.
So we think it already fits the criteria from that angle.
But it's also positioned in an area where there's been multiple drill system tests with analyzed natural gas.
And it's got the potential to be high-grade gas as well.
When it comes to commercially viable grades of helium, experts consider anything from 0.3% to 1% helium to be high-grade.
But on the Alberta property, historical drilling is reported to have showed up to 2.18% helium in some locations.
We think this could have tremendous implications for supply if the hoped for discovery in Alberta pans out as Avanti’s team is expecting.
For prospective helium plays like these though, even when there's great potential, many fall apart just due to poor leadership or lack of experience, in addition to other reasons.
That's why it's essential to only back projects led by teams that have already proven they can deliver the goods.
And that's exactly what we think Avanti Energy (TSX: AVN.V; US OTC: ARGYF) has on their side.
Team of Experts with a Proven Track Record
Their world-class management team was responsible for identifying and developing one of the largest oil and gas discoveries in all of North America.
That's where they helped discover natural gas in the Montney, which has been producing almost 300,000 boe/d over the past 15 years.
And now, Genga Nadaraju, Dr. Jim Wood, and Ali Esmail have keyed in on the Alberta property because of the incredible potential they've seen there.
They've probably already developed a plan for identifying the structural traps and high points for drilling.
But many are eagerly waiting to see how these world-class experts will do it.
They've already revealed that they're pursuing an 80-20% targeted model approach.
The 20% will follow standard industry conventional strategies.
But the remaining 80%, which could be the key to helping unlock the opportunities at the Alberta property, is being kept strictly confidential.
It’s expected that they’ll plan to follow their own models, just as they did at the Montney.
And they’re hoping they’ll see similar results with another world-class discovery in their new property, this time of a different kind of gas.
Expanding Quickly Throughout North America
With such a highly-respected team behind this project, it's beginning to draw attention within the industry.
That's especially true after Avanti moved to grow their land package across the border into the United States earlier in April.
They’ve entered into an LOI to add another 12,000 acres of land in Montana to this already impressive land package in Alberta.
And they're supposedly eyeing another roughly 55,000 acres around the midwestern United States with potentially very large helium reserves.
Altogether, they're said to have identified around 20 additional proprietary targets around Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana.
And over the coming months, they've made clear that they are planning to aggressively start acquiring more land to build a long-term pipeline of opportunities and projects.
That's massive news as the supply squeeze for helium has a lot of different industries seeking what Avanti is looking to be able to supply.
And once the Helium Stewardship Act expires in September 2021, that's only expected by some experts to push helium prices higher.
That's when the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will auction off all remaining helium reserves in their possession, which could do away with the price ceiling keeping the lid on the market today.
Avanti Energy (TSX: AVN.V; US OTC: ARGYF) is in a good position to cash in if they achieve the discoveries they’re aiming for as they assemble a growing property portfolio that's highly prospective for helium.
Now, with the success of this tech boom riding on companies like Avanti discovering and producing more helium in the coming months, the potential upside looks good to us.
So how does Big Tech use helium, anyway?
It’s used primarily for cooling in fiber optic manufacturing and semiconductor manufacturing. That means that companies with massive data centers like Google, Facebook and Microsoft are distinctly dependent on this rare gas.
Other energy plays to keep an eye on:
As demand for energy continues to explode in a post-pandemic China, CNOOC Limited (NYSE:CEO, TSX:CNU) will likely be one of the biggest winners in this boom. It’s the country’s most significant producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas and may well be one of the most controversial oil stocks for investors on the market. A label that has nothing to do with its operations, however.
Just last month, U.S. regulators announced their intention to de-list Chinese companies from the New York Stock Exchange, going back on their announcement just a few days later. The sustained negative press surrounding Chinese companies, however, has put CNOOC in an uncomfortable position for investors. While many analysts see the company as significantly undervalued, it is still struggling to gain traction in U.S. markets.
Teck Resources Limited (NYSE:TECK, TSX:TECK.B) is one of the world’s largest and most diverse resource and mineral companies. And it isn’t going to miss out on the global energy transition, either. While its primary mining and mineral development plays focus on steelmaking coal, copper and zinc, Teck also has a major stake in renewable projects with massive potential.
Explaining why investment in the new-energy industry, Teck states, “Flow batteries – such as the zinc-air battery developed by ZincNyx, with its flexible and low-cost scaling, long-term storage properties and the ability to separate the energy storage function from the power generation source – could provide a more efficient alternative for large-scale energy storage.”
Like the rest of the market, Teck struggled in 2020. Its share price fell to just $7 in March of last year due to the market chaos sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this downturn, however, the company was able to rebound significantly, rising by nearly 180% to its current prices. But with more projects on the horizon, and global demand for copper and zinc on the rise, Teck is poised to climb even higher.
Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. (NYSE:TRQ, TSX:TRQ) is major player in Canada’s resource and mineral industry, and its bound to gain some major traction in the world’s push towards greener energy. Like Teck Resources, Turquoise Hill is a major producer of coal and zinc, two resources with distinctly different futures. While the end of coal is looming, zinc is a mineral that will likely grow exponentially in the future of energy for years and years to come.
But that’s not all Turqoise Hill has going for it in the energy transition. It’s also a major producer of Uranium. Uranium is a key material in the production of nuclear energy, which many analysts are suggesting could be a major component in the global transition to cleaner energy. While the mineral has not seen significant price action in recent years, there are a number of new projects set to come online across the globe in the medium-term, which could be a boon to Turquoise Hill.
Magna International (NYSE:MGA, TSX:MG) is a little-known stock with huge potential. And it is a great way to get in on the booming battery market without betting big on one of the new hot stocks tearing up among the millennials right now. The 63-year-old Canadian manufacturing giant provides mobility technology for automakers of all types. From GM and Ford to luxury brands like BMW and Tesla, Magna is a master at striking deals. And it’s clear to see why. The company has the experience and reputation that automakers are looking for.
Magna saw the battery boom before most. In fact, more than ten years ago, it was already making major moves in this emerging market, investing over half a billion dollars in battery production while the market was still gaining traction. Back then, electric vehicles as we know them had barely hit the scene, with Tesla launching its very first car just two years before.
Magna’s big bet on batteries has paid off in a big way. Since its initial investment the company has seen its valuation soar by tens of billions of dollars, and it has quietly solidified itself as one of the leaders in this emerging market.
Similar to Magna, Celestica (NYSE:CLS, TSX:CLS ), is a company that saw this trend before it took Wall Street by storm. As a manufacturer of key technology in this industry, it has gained a lot of ground, especially in recent years. Celestica’s wide range of products includes but is not limited to communications solutions, enterprise and cloud services, aerospace and defense products, renewable energy and healthcare tech.
Celestica’s future is tied hand-in-hand with the green energy boom that’s sweeping the world at the moment. It helps build smart and efficient products that integrate the latest in power generation, conversion and management technology to deliver smarter, more efficient grid and off-grid applications for the world’s leading energy equipment manufacturers and developers.
Celestica fell victim to the massive selloff sparked by the global COVID-19 pandemic, seeing its share price fall into the $2 range in March 2020. Since then, however, the stock price has soared by nearly 400% to its current price. This could be just the beginning for Celestica, however. As the pressure continues to grow to go green, Celestica may emerge as a major benefactor in this new energy race.
By. Arakan Okada
**IMPORTANT! BY READING OUR CONTENT YOU EXPLICITLY AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY**
Forward-Looking Statements
This publication contains forward-looking information which is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements in this publication include that prices for helium will significantly increase due to global demand and use in a wide array of industries and that helium will retain its value in future due to the demand increases and overall shortage of supply; that Avanti can pursue exploration of the recently acquired licenses of property in Alberta; that Avanti’s licenses in respect of the Alberta property can achieve drilling and mining success for helium; that Avanti will be able acquire the rights to helium on 12,000 acres of prospective land in Montana pursuant to its recently announced letter of intent; that the Avanti team will be able to develop and implement helium exploration models, including their own proprietary models, that may result in successful exploration and development efforts; that historical geological information and estimations will prove to be accurate or at least very indicative of helium; that high helium content targets exist in the Alberta and Montana projects; and that Avanti will be able to carry out its business plans, including timing for drilling and exploration. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Risks that could change or prevent these statements from coming to fruition include that demand for helium is not as great as expected; that alternative commodities or compounds are used in applications which currently use helium, thus reducing the need for helium in the future; that the Company may not fulfill the requirements under its Alberta licenses for various reasons or otherwise cannot pursue exploration on the project as planned or at all; that the Company may not be able to acquire the helium rights to the Montana lands as contemplated in the letter of intent or at all; that the Avanti team may be unable to develop any helium exploration models, including proprietary models, which allow successful exploration efforts on any of the Company’s current or future projects; that Avanti may not be able to finance its intended drilling programs to explore for helium or may otherwise not raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans; that geological interpretations and technological results based on current data may change with more detailed information, analysis or testing; and that despite promise, there may be no commercially viable helium or other resources on any of Avanti’s properties. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and we assume no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
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