Global helium producer and supplier Praxair said Tuesday it has signed a long-term contract to purchase up to 100 million standard cubic feet of helium annually from Nacogdoches Oil & Gas (NOG), operator of an Apache County helium-bearing gas field.

“After a comprehensive search, it became clear that Praxair was the right long-term partner to help develop this unique helium resource given their strong infrastructure and leadership in the helium industry,” NOG President Taylor Mathews said.

The Apache County field produces a gas composed almost entirely of helium and nitrogen, providing Praxair with great flexibility in responding to market conditions.

“Developing this gas field with NOG demonstrates Praxair’s commitment to expanding and diversifying our helium supply so we can continue to reliably meet our customers’ growing demand for helium,” Praxair General Manager for Global Helium and Rare Gases Amer Akhras said.

Praxai, a Fortune 250 company founded in 1917, with $12.3 billion in 2014 sales, is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America and a global leader in the production and distribution of helium, producing and distributing atmospheric, process and specialty gases, along with high-performance surface coatings.

Helium is used in many applications, including MRIs, fiber optics and semiconductor manufacturing, breathing atmospheres, lifting for blimps and balloons, automobile airbags, and leak detection.