Engineers India (EIL) has signed an agreement to establish India’s first Helium Recovery Demonstration Plant in Kuthalam, Tamil Nadu, marking a significant step towards reducing the country's reliance on imported helium.

This project aligns with the National Critical Mineral Mission, which aims to strengthen India’s position in the global energy and technology sectors. The plant will recover Grade-A Helium with 99.995 percent purity from natural gas streams, a critical resource used in industries such as space exploration, semiconductor manufacturing, fibre optics, cryogenics, and advanced medical technologies like MRI machines. Helium is non-renewable and has no synthetic substitute, making it a vital raw material for several high-tech applications.

EIL's use of home-grown technology for helium recovery emphasises India’s growing energy sovereignty.