Sep 6, 2026 · 1h 22m
Rift Helium tests Tanzania’s helium promise amid fragile markets
S12 Ep1: The Sunday Roast featuring Charlie Fitzroy, CEO of RIFT Helium #RIFT #BZT #XTR #AFP #DGQ #EST #AGI #KEN #TM1 #POLB #SVML #UPL #BUCE #TAR #FORG
The episode links macroeconomic pressure and speculative small-cap investing with the technical and financing risks behind a new helium project.
- 1Rift Helium is advancing environmental approvals, seismic work, financing, and exploration drilling at its Upepo project in Tanzania.
- 2Helium demand spans semiconductors, MRI, aerospace, and quantum computing, but Rift’s nitrogen-dominated system carries meaningful exploration risk.
- 3The hosts pair resource and technology ideas with warnings about liquidity, management quality, debt-market pressure, and speculative pre-IPO investing.
Don't miss
Charles FitzRoy explains why Rift Helium’s nitrogen-dominated geological system could differentiate the Upepo project while increasing exploration uncertainty.
The brief
Season 12 returns with a discussion of AIM trading halts, thin summer liquidity, UK politics, rising yields, mortgage pressure, and the broader strain in debt markets.
The episode’s central interview features Charles FitzRoy, CEO of Rift Helium, explaining the Upepo project’s environmental approval, planned 3D seismic survey, exploration wells, financing, and geology.
FitzRoy outlines helium demand from semiconductors, MRI, aerospace, and quantum computing, while emphasizing that Rift’s nitrogen-dominated system differs from conventional byproduct helium.
The hosts then survey Potentially AI, Bazant, Kendrick, Delta Gold, crypto and resource opportunities, oil and gas ventures, and the management risks of pre-IPO investing.
The closing football discussion on Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, and transfer spending provides a sharp change of register after an episode focused on speculative markets.
What was said on this episode
42 statements · 39 positive · 2 negative · 1 neutral
The podcast’s top twelve selections gained 132% over three years.
“If you'd invested in our top 12 3 years ago, you'd be up 132% now.”
Listen at 0:59
Eastar Resources remains substantially undervalued.
“still horrendously undervalued.”
Listen at 1:51
Trading halts during placings may reduce discounts compared with current practice.
“I suspect that maybe that would, that would make the discounts less bad than what they are now.”
Listen at 4:36
AIM market liquidity declines in July and August before returning sharply in September.
“the volume liquidity does go down in July and August, and then September it comes back with a rush.”
Listen at 6:33
A Russia-Ukraine peace could reduce geopolitical risks and interest rates.
“If we get that, then I think maybe we, you know, that would solve obviously a lot of problems and the geopolitical risk factors would go down, interest rates would go down.”
Listen at 8:35
The Reform scandal will not end Nigel Farage’s political career.
“I don't think it's over for Nigel Farage, though I think he's going to do what he's best at, which is go on the attack.”
Listen at 11:41
The UK should reduce public spending and taxation.
“we need to spend less money as a country, and we need to tax people less”
Listen at 14:49
US government bond yields are likely to continue rising.
“The yield is probably likely to keep on going up.”
Listen at 15:45
Dollar-denominated resources will continue increasing in price.
“we're going to see gold, silver, copper, any resource that is valued in US dollars is going to continue to go up.”
Listen at 16:15
The US dollar will materially depreciate, intentionally or otherwise.
“I think the US dollar is materially going to devalue and they're going to want it to happen.”
Listen at 16:51
Rift Helium is fully on track to execute its exploration program.
“we are fully, fully on track now”
Listen at 19:34
Three-dimensional seismic provides comprehensive structural coverage of Rift’s license area.
“3D gives you cross-sections, multiple cross-sections across the whole area. So you've got that whole 3D coverage”
Listen at 20:36
Rift’s 3D seismic will substantially improve drilling-target accuracy.
“the 3D seismic we're doing now will enable us to target so accurately”
Listen at 22:11
Rift’s CPR reports a mean helium grade near 5.5%.
“We've got a mean grade in our CPR of nearly 5.5% helium.”
Listen at 25:05
Rift’s CPR estimates a P50 resource of 19 BCF helium.
“we've got a P50 of 19 BCF”
Listen at 25:31
Helium is necessary for semiconductor manufacturing.
“You can't make semiconductors without helium.”
Listen at 26:48
Helium prices have risen sharply.
“Helium pricing has shot up.”
Listen at 27:10
Rift Helium remains on schedule to drill during the first half of next year.
“we are on track for drilling in H1 as planned next year.”
Listen at 31:19
Rift’s 3D seismic will raise exploration confidence into the 30–50% range.
“The 3 seismic will raise our confidence and probability up dramatically, between the 30 to 50% range.”
Listen at 33:26
Helium prices will continue rising as demand and supply constraints persist.
“Prices consistently go up in helium. And I can't see a reason why that won't happen”
Listen at 37:07
Potentially AI’s share price could surge after a successful mass-market launch.
“if it works and it does what they say that it's going to do, it's going to explode. The share price is going to explode.”
Listen at 41:42
Potentially AI has very high upside potential if its product succeeds.
“the upside potential here is, is, is very, very high.”
Listen at 42:11
Potentially AI could rise approximately 300% if its product works.
“if it does work, you'll get the classic sort of AIM spike and you'll be up sort of 300%”
Listen at 44:49
Bazant could be worth at least several hundred million pounds.
“we're talking about a company that's going to be worth a few hundred million pounds at the very least.”
Listen at 47:04
Bazant may earn roughly $700,000 profit per shipment every 10–14 days.
“your profit on each shipment will be roughly $700,000 US and you're probably gonna get those every 10 days to 2 weeks.”
Listen at 48:00
Evidence of rare-earth processability could remove Kendrick’s valuation constraints.
“Once you have that evidence back in the RNS, then that will, that will take the brakes off, I think.”
Listen at 50:03
Chile-related ratification could arrive around Chile Day and perform strongly.
“I just see the ratification for of this thing coming in maybe in that week, maybe even on that day. And when it does, it should do incredibly well”
Listen at 53:27
Upland Resources could experience a substantial share-price rise soon.
“I think we're going to see movement there and we're going to see a big, big run-up with Upland.”
Listen at 55:20
Kevin evaluates Buccaneer Energy favorably.
“I think it's a great story.”
Listen at 56:02
Talon Resources could surge if its drilling results are positive.
“if these drill results come back, this is going to have one hell of a run”
Listen at 56:15
Forgent could be worth substantially more if its assets are proven.
“if it's proved up what they think they've got, then this is worth a hell of a lot more money than it currently is.”
Listen at 57:48
Battalion Advanced Technology could increase twentyfold after listing.
“I do think it's going to 20x.”
Listen at 1:03:18
A single Battalion technology could be worth approximately $100 million.
“something like that, even one of the things, could be worth $100 million”
Listen at 1:08:53
Battalion could reach approximately $100 million valuation within twelve months.
“within 12 months I think you've got a very good chance that that will be the case.”
Listen at 1:09:07
TAO will become a leading future cryptocurrency.
“TAO is going to be the future of cryptocurrency.”
Listen at 1:09:27
TAO will overtake Ethereum’s importance in cryptocurrency.
“I think that TAO is going to take it over now.”
Listen at 1:09:42
TAO’s prospective listing may occur during favorable cryptocurrency market conditions.
“it's probably going to be very good timing.”
Listen at 1:10:47
Atomic will succeed under Paul Johnson’s leadership.
“it will be a success.”
Listen at 1:12:50
Atomic’s management incentive structure aligns leadership with shareholder performance.
“I particularly like the, um, the incentive structure of him and other members of the management team”
Listen at 1:12:51
1947 Oil and Gas could become a large small-cap company with substantial production potential.
“that should be a big, a big cap in our world, a small cap in the real world, but, you know, has huge potential for oil production”
Listen at 1:15:48
A major oil-and-gas success would materially improve sector sentiment.
“What we need is we need someone to hit it big, like properly big, and then, and then, and then that'll help massively.”
Listen at 1:16:50
Manchester City will win the current Premier League season.
“Manchester City is going to win the Premier League this year.”
Listen at 1:19:40
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
Nigel Farage
United StatesListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.