QatarEnergy has signed a 20-year agreement to buy up to 3 million tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Woodside Energy’s Louisiana LNG project, deepening Doha’s push into United States supply at a time when shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.
Under the long-term sale and purchase agreement announced on October 29, Woodside will supply the LNG on a free-on-board basis from the start-up of Louisiana LNG’s second train, rising to the full 3 million tonnes a year when the third train starts up. QatarEnergy said it expects first deliveries in 2030.
The project
Louisiana LNG is under construction near Lake Charles, Louisiana. Its foundation project comprises three liquefaction trains with a combined capacity of 16.5 million tonnes a year and is targeting first LNG in 2029. Reuters puts the project investment at $17.5 billion as of August, and notes that before QatarEnergy, Woodside had secured only one other long-term sales agreement for the project, with Germany’s Uniper.
Woodside chief executive Liz Westcott called the agreement “a strong vote of confidence in Louisiana LNG” and “a significant step in building the project’s long-term customer base”, adding that together with the Uniper contract it provides sustained revenue certainty for a material portion of the project’s production.
Why QatarEnergy is buying American
QatarEnergy president and chief executive Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said the additional volumes make QatarEnergy the largest buyer of LNG from the United States, and that its Golden Pass project in Texas and its growing portfolio of US purchases support its long-term growth and diversification strategy.
The deal follows an agreement a week earlier for QatarEnergy to buy four million tonnes a year from Cheniere through 2054. Reuters reported that the Woodside deal gives QatarEnergy a source of LNG from outside the Gulf while shipping through Hormuz is blocked, and that the company has told some customers they would not receive LNG until the end of this year — context that helps explain why a 20-year contract, rather than a short-term fix, was signed.
What it means for Woodside
For Woodside, Australia’s largest independent oil and gas producer, the contract helps sell capacity at a project that Reuters reported had struggled to secure buyers while seeking liquefaction fees above US market rates. A second major long-term customer strengthens the case for the project as it moves from construction towards first production.
What happens next
Deliveries are not expected until 2030, so the deal will not cover cargoes suspended this year. Its significance is longer term: a 20-year US supply stream for the world’s LNG market, a more diversified portfolio for QatarEnergy, and greater contracted revenue certainty for Woodside as Louisiana LNG approaches its 2029 first-production target.
FAQ
How much LNG will QatarEnergy buy from Woodside? Up to 3 million tonnes a year for 20 years.
When will deliveries start? QatarEnergy expects first deliveries in 2030, starting with Train 2 and rising to full volume at Train 3 start-up.
Where is Louisiana LNG? Near Lake Charles, Louisiana, on the US Gulf Coast.
Sources
- Woodside announcement (Business Wire): https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261029014552/en/Woodside-Signs-20-Year-LNG-Supply-Agreement-With-QatarEnergy
- Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/australias-woodside-supply-qatarenergy-with-louisiana-lng-20-year-deal-2026-10-29/
- The National: https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2026/10/29/qatarenergy-turns-to-us-lng-with-woodside-deal-as-hormuz-force-majeure-drags-on/
- The Peninsula: https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/29/10/2026/qatarenergy-to-purchase-3mtpa-of-us-lng-from-woodside-energy-for-20-years
