Updates
** Shares of U.S. Energy Corp USEG.O rise ~40% to $1.28
** Co enters five-year agreement with a global, investment-grade industrial gas company to sell contained helium produced at U.S. Energy's Big Sky Carbon Hub in Montana
** The agreement provides long-term contracted cash flow backing Phase 1 commercial operations, which remain slated to begin in the first quarter of 2027
** Pricing fixed at $285 per thousand standard cubic feet of contained helium on an all-in plant-gate basis, with no deductions; counterparty will assume all costs
** Phase 2, due in 2029, expected to add 2-3 times Phase 1 capacity
** Including session's moves, USEG up ~38% YTD
(Reporting by Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru)
((dharna.bafna@thomsonreuters.com))