能源部将氦列为关键材料：称其对半导体制造不可或缺
华盛顿——美国能源部（DOE）10月23日宣布，能源部长 Chris Wright 已依据2020年《能源法》将氦指定为关键材料。能源部表示，这一指定推进了本届政府摆脱对外国关键材料来源依赖、加强美国国内制造、支持美国就业的承诺。
能源部长 Chris Wright 说：「特朗普总统正在把美国制造业带回来，这意味着要确保我们拥有在美国重新制造产品所需的材料。氦对生产驱动我们经济的半导体和先进技术至关重要。通过将氦指定为关键材料，我们又向保障供应链、创造美国就业迈出一步。」
能源部认定，氦因其在美国制造业中的关键作用以及日益增长的供应链风险敞口，符合关键材料的法定定义。能源部说，氦的独特性能使其对半导体生产不可或缺，在许多关键应用中没有可行的替代品；美国拥有丰富的富氦天然气国内储量，可支持不断增长的工业需求。
能源部助理部长 Audrey Robertson 说，能源部致力于加强对经济与就业增长、能源主导地位以及美国在尖端技术领域领导地位至关重要的关键材料供应链，确保美国制造商可靠获得氦这一关键资源。
能源部同时指出，全球氦需求的增长速度快于产量，增加了美国制造商的供应风险；尽管美国氦资源丰富，有限的精炼产能和漫长的许可流程仍在制约美国的氦生产。能源部已发布联邦公报通知，列明此次指定的相关信息。
Energy Department Designates Helium as a Critical Material, Citing Its Essential Role in Semiconductor Manufacturing
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on October 23 that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has designated helium as a critical material under the Energy Act of 2020. DOE said the designation advances the administration's commitment to freeing America from reliance on foreign sources of critical materials, strengthening domestic manufacturing, supporting American jobs, and securing materials essential to U.S. economic and national security.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said: "President Trump is bringing back America's manufacturing industry, and that means making sure we have the materials needed to build things in America again. Helium is essential to producing the semiconductors and advanced technologies that power our economy. By designating helium as a critical material, we are taking another step toward securing our supply chains, creating American jobs, and ensuring the United States leads the world in energy and technological innovation."
DOE determined that helium meets the statutory definition of a critical material due to its essential role in American manufacturing and growing exposure to supply chain risks. DOE said helium's unique properties make it indispensable to semiconductor production, with no viable substitutes in many critical applications, and that the United States has significant domestic deposits of helium-rich natural gas to support growing industrial demand.
Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson said DOE is committed to strengthening the country's supply chain of critical materials essential to economic and job growth, energy dominance, and U.S. leadership in cutting-edge technologies such as semiconductors, and to ensuring American manufacturers have reliable access to helium.
DOE also said global demand for helium is growing faster than production, increasing supply risks for American manufacturers, and that despite the nation's abundant helium resources, limited refining capacity and lengthy permitting timelines continue to constrain U.S. production. DOE published a Federal Register notice with details of the designation.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：半导体洁净室（资料图）。照片：Aileen Devlin，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A semiconductor cleanroom (file photo). Photo: Aileen Devlin, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
