The Amarillo Helium Plant, operated by the United States Bureau of Mines, was the first plant to produce helium from the extensive helium resources of the Texas Panhandle. From 1929 until 1943, it furnished almost all of the world's helium supply. Operating around the clock, it extracts helium by liquefying natural gas and separating helium from it at temperatures 300 degrees below zero. The natural reserves in these fields and their extensions into adjacent states contain more than 95 percent of the world's known helium supply. The site is also home to a world-renowned research center that provides fundamental data on the production and uses of helium. Helium is used for lighter-than-air craft, low-temperature research, shielded-arc welding, national defense, nuclear energy programs, and space exploration.
