Pulsar Helium starts sixth appraisal well near Babbitt, plans 10 wells

Pulsar Helium has begun drilling a sixth appraisal well at its Topaz Project near Babbitt, the company said, continuing an accelerated program to map a helium-bearing reservoir that may support commercial production. Pulsar reported the sixth well was started Tuesday, Jan. 27, with an initial plan to reach about 3,000 feet and the option to drill to 5,000 feet as the company tests the system’s extent.

The move follows five consecutive wells that intersected helium-bearing gas. Pulsar said Jetstream #5 had been drilled to 3,839 feet and encountered gas-bearing zones near 837 feet, 1,481 feet and an additional influx at about 2,857 feet. The deepest influx recorded an estimated bottom-hole pressure of roughly 1,292 psi, the company said, the highest pressure measured among the five wells to date. During completion of Jetstream #5, drillers experienced difficulty removing the drill string and left 1,239 feet of pipe in the hole, a development that could affect completion timing.

Pulsar plans to drill up to 10 appraisal wells at Topaz to map reservoir extent, pressure regime and gas composition. All wells are on private land where Pulsar holds exclusive leases and mineral rights covering 4,181 acres, the company said. Jetstream #1 was drilled in 2024 about 50 feet from a 2011 Duluth Metals hole that first encountered helium at the site.

A combined flow-testing and pressure build-up program on three wells - Jetstream #3, #4 and #5 - is scheduled to begin in early February, with testing expected to run about six weeks per well. Pulsar has said flow and pressure data are due February through May, with a resource update expected in June and July followed by the company’s first economic study. Results from early wells have shown single-well sustained flows reported at 7 to 8 percent helium for Jetstream #1 and #2, and the company has characterized concentrations of 8 to 10 percent across recent wells versus a typical industry threshold of 2 percent; Pulsar has noted commercial viability starts at 0.3 percent.

Timberline crews are working on site through the winter, with Operations Manager Steve Campbell noting, “The outdoors here is unbelievable. The land of 10,000 lakes, there is water everywhere.” CEO and co-founder Thomas Abraham-James framed the program as a sizing exercise: “It’s now about seeing the size of the prize. See how much gas is there, and if it’s sufficient enough for production.”

For St. Louis County residents, the Topaz work means more heavy equipment and rig traffic on private roads, seasonal on-site crews and potential opportunities if the project moves toward development. Pulsar’s testing over the next three to five months will determine whether the Topaz discovery can be commercialized and whether it becomes Minnesota’s first commercial helium operation. Local officials and residents should expect updates on flow-test results and any changes to the drilling schedule as the company resolves the Jetstream #5 completion issue and advances its 10-well appraisal plan.