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By Wen-Yee Lee
TAICHUNG, Taiwan, March 25 (Reuters) - French industrial gases group Air Liquide AIRP.PA on Wednesday said a short-term helium shortage is expected due to the conflict in the Middle East, adding it plans to reallocate helium supplies from other regions.
“With the situation in the Middle East and the attacks that happened last week on the natural gas field, there is today a shortage of helium,” said Armelle Levieux, Air Liquide’s group vice president.
Levieux said QatarEnergy, one of the world's largest producers of natural gas, had declared force majeure to its customers, adding that helium is a byproduct of natural gas production.
Levieux said the company is in close contact with its customers and it is allocating helium from other places in the world.
The announcement was made during the opening of the group's first large-scale advanced materials factory in Taichung, Taiwan.
Air Liquide is a key supplier to Taiwan's semiconductor industry, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co 2330.TW, the world's largest contract chipmaker.
It operates more than 60 facilities in Taiwan, of which 54 are dedicated to the semiconductor industry.
Taiwan’s Economy Ministry on Tuesday said helium supplies remained stable, with imports now available from the U.S.
(Reporting by Wen Yee Lee in Taichung; Writing by Farah Master; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Thomas Derpinghaus)
((farah.master@thomsonreuters.com; +852 3462 7709;))
