Doha, January 26 (QNA) - QatarEnergy has signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement with the industrial gases company Air Liquide to supply around 300 million cubic feet of helium annually from Qatar.

In a statement issued on Monday, QatarEnergy said the agreement marks a significant milestone in the long-standing relationship between the two companies, both of which are major players in the global industrial gases sector.

Air Liquide was among the first customers of Qatari helium and remains a key buyer, as well as a technology provider for Qatar's helium production facilities, the company said.

Commenting on the agreement, HE Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and Chief Executive Officer of QatarEnergy, Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, welcomed the continuation of the partnership. He said Air Liquide has been a strategic partner in Qatar's helium industry since the opening of the country's first helium plants in 2005, playing a central role in supplying high-quality Qatari helium to critical industries worldwide.

HE Al Kaabi said Qatar is among the world's largest exporters of helium, adding that the country's production capacity is set to more than double as a result of liquefied natural gas expansion projects at the North Field.

He said the increased output would support a wide range of sectors and industries that rely on helium, contributing to global industrial growth and human development. (QNA)