ONGC to Build India's First Indigenous Helium Plant in Tamil Nadu for ₹40 Crore.

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is taking a step toward indigenous helium production with a new ₹40 crore demonstration plant in Tamil Nadu.

ONGC Energy Centre Trust (OECT), the company's research and development arm, has partnered with Engineers India Ltd (EIL) to build a Helium Recovery Demonstration Plant at ONGC’s Kuthalam Gas Collection Station in the Cauvery Asset.

The project, valued at ₹40 crore, is set for completion within 18 months. Its primary goal is to recover Grade-A Helium with an impressive 99.995% purity from natural gas.

The plant will be based on a technology package developed by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research–Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR–IIP). According to a statement from ONGC, the facility will process 750 cubic meters of natural gas per hour and is designed with the flexibility to operate at 110% of its capacity.