Oxford University has confirmed helium-3 in all six gas samples collected from Gold Hydrogen’s Ramsay 1 and Ramsay 2 flow tests, with concentrations reaching 1,220 parts per trillion. The result expands the project’s potential value proposition, but recovery technology, resource volumes and commercial viability remain unproven.
- Helium-3 detected in all six Ramsay 1 and Ramsay 2 samples
- Peak concentration of 1,220 ppt, or 165 times atmospheric levels
- Helium-3 was measured in gas brought to surface during flow testing
- Ramsay 3 samples remain under analysis
- Separation technology and commercial recovery have not yet been demonstrated
Oxford confirms helium-3 across six Ramsay samples
Gold Hydrogen Limited (ASX:GHY) has produced its strongest Ramsay helium-3 result to date, with Oxford University measuring up to 1,220 parts per trillion in a gas sample from the Hiltaba Basement at Ramsay 2. That is approximately 165 times the atmospheric concentration of 7.3 parts per trillion.
Helium-3 was detected in all six samples analysed from Ramsay 1 and Ramsay 2. Argon-corrected concentrations ranged from 504 to 534 ppt at Ramsay 1, 853 to 881 ppt in the Ramsay 2 Kulpara Dolomite test, and 1,191 to 1,220 ppt in the Ramsay 2 Hiltaba Basement test. The samples came from separated raw gas during sustained flow testing, meaning the isotope was identified in gas successfully brought to surface rather than only in a downhole or indirect measurement.
The findings add an isotopic layer to the three-well helium flow test, which had previously established helium flow across a connected reservoir extending about 2.2 kilometres. Gold Hydrogen said the measured helium-3 to helium-4 ratios were similar to its 2024 results, despite the 2026 samples being collected during higher-rate flow testing.
Strategic value arrives before commercial proof
Helium-3 is used or investigated for applications including quantum-computing cryogenics, neutron detection, medical research and advanced fusion concepts. Gold Hydrogen cited an indicative value of about US$18 million per kilogram, depending on purity and market conditions, but also acknowledged that there is no established, transparent market price for the isotope.
That distinction matters. The company has not estimated a recoverable helium-3 volume, and separation from helium-4 requires specialised cryogenic technology that has not been demonstrated at Ramsay. The potential isotope stream sits alongside, rather than within, the project’s existing resource work: helium-3 is not included in any Prospective Resource or Contingent Resource estimate.
Gold Hydrogen is now assessing separation and recovery options while advancing its helium development plans. The work follows the modular helium plant funding, reported after a $4 million investment commitment, although the company’s announcement does not identify a commercial helium-3 partner or a selected recovery process.
Ramsay 3 and resource work remain decisive
Ramsay 3 samples remain with Oxford University and CSIRO, making the next round of analysis the immediate technical catalyst. Gold Hydrogen also plans to progress a maiden helium Contingent Resource assessment, complete outstanding laboratory work and continue modular plant design and procurement planning.
The filing presents encouraging laboratory evidence, not a helium-3 development case. The six-sample set is limited, the reported figures depend partly on Argon-correction methodology, and the company warns that the results may not represent gas composition over time. The investment question now shifts from whether helium-3 is present to whether it can be quantified, separated and sold at a commercially meaningful scale.
Bottom Line?
The headline concentration is notable, but Ramsay 3 results, recoverable volumes and successful separation testing will determine whether helium-3 becomes an asset or remains an intriguing laboratory result.
Questions in the middle?
- Will Oxford University and CSIRO identify comparable helium-3 concentrations in the Ramsay 3 samples?
- Can a separation process recover helium-3 from Ramsay’s helium-rich gas stream at commercial scale?
- Will the maiden Contingent Resource assessment quantify only conventional helium, or provide a basis for evaluating the wider isotope opportunity?