Helix Exploration (LSE:HEX) - Self Funding Model for Helium Exploration

Interview with Bo Sears, CEO of Helix Exploration

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/helix-exploration-lsehex-strategic-producer-targets-us-helium-supply-gap-6513

Recording date: 18th June, 2025

Helix Exploration presents a compelling investment opportunity as a self-funded helium producer positioned to begin commercial production by end of summer 2025. CEO Bo Sears leads a company with 355 million cubic feet of recoverable helium reserves in Montana's Rudyard Field, demonstrating a perfect drilling success rate with three productive wells from three attempts. The company's processing plant is two-thirds complete with critical membrane units arriving from Europe, positioning Helix to capitalize on helium's unique market characteristics where "there is no substitute for most of helium's applications by virtue of its atomic properties," as Sears explains.

Unlike typical resource companies requiring continuous equity raises, Helix maintains a self-funding growth model that eliminates dilution risk while providing operational flexibility. The company projects $4 million gross annual revenue per well at $500 per thousand cubic feet helium pricing, with substantial margins driven by efficient drilling operations and low variable costs primarily related to compression power. This economic model supports organic expansion through cash flow generation rather than dilutive financing, a significant advantage in today's challenging capital markets.

The strategic value of North American helium production has increased due to geopolitical tensions affecting major supply sources. With ongoing conflicts near Qatar's North Pars Field, US-based production offers supply security that supports long-term pricing stability. Helium's applications span from MRI machines to semiconductor manufacturing, creating inelastic demand that provides pricing power unavailable in substitutable commodities. As Sears notes, "you can't replace helium with hydrogen for obvious purposes. Think Hindenburg, right? On up the food chain to the MRI machines and the semiconductor manufacturing, there is no other element that can do what Helium does."

Helix demonstrates operational excellence through strategic well spacing that allows one well to drain an entire square mile section, minimizing development costs while maximizing recovery. The company's partnerships with established operators Wacoda and Treasure State Drilling provide operational expertise while maintaining cost control. Infrastructure advantages include reliable power access, excellent road networks, and proximity to end markets, with a gathering system design that allows efficient integration of additional wells as production scales.

Traditional exploration risks have been substantially reduced through proven reserves, successful drilling results, and an immediate production timeline. Management's 25+ years of industry experience and focus on operational benchmarks differentiate Helix from competitors facing execution challenges. The combination of immediate production timeline, self-funded growth capability, proven reserves, and exposure to a strategic commodity with inelastic demand creates a unique value proposition for investors seeking commodity exposure with limited downside and substantial upside potential in an essential but underappreciated sector.

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Learn more: www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/helix-exploration

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