Woodside Energy is encountering headwinds in marketing long-term volumes from its planned Louisiana liquefied natural gas export facility as buyers balk at liquefaction fees that are reportedly above typical U.S. rates, two people with knowledge of the discussions said.
To date the Australian energy firm has publicly announced a single long-term sales and purchase agreement for the project - a deal with Germany’s Uniper covering up to 2 million metric tons per year, which the parties describe as roughly 25% of Woodside’s share of the plant’s output.
Liquefaction fees are additional charges levied by producers on top of the base energy price to convert natural gas into a liquid form suitable for transport. Those fees have been rising across the market amid labor shortages, higher construction costs, and elevated demand that market participants attribute in part to the ongoing Iran conflict. Still, the resistance Woodside is sensing from potential buyers could indicate there is an effective ceiling on what customers will accept for U.S. liquefaction services.
"The problem Woodside has is the price of its liquefaction fees, which are above what others in the U.S. are charging," one of the sources said. That source reported Woodside initially sought fees above $2.80 per million British thermal units, compared with broader U.S. market rates near $2.40 to $2.50 per mmBtu.
For comparison, the source said, Cheniere Energy - the largest U.S. producer - charges slightly higher fees at around $2.60 per mmBtu, while Venture Global is among the lowest at roughly $2.30 per mmBtu.
A second person familiar with pricing talks said that Woodside’s commercial package carried some attractive elements beyond headline fee levels, notably contract duration, but that price remained the central sticking point. "Woodside is offering 10-year contracts, which are attractive in terms of duration, but the sticking point has been the price," the source said. "They wanted $2.80 per mmBtu but are now offering it at $2.60."
Woodside declined to comment to third parties. On the company’s recent earnings call, however, CEO Liz Westcott said customer interest remained strong and expressed comfort with project progress in Louisiana. "Many customers are seeing the benefit of being geographically diversified, and we are very comfortable with how the process is going in Louisiana LNG," Westcott said. "We continue to be well priced in the market. We were in the next wave of LNG projects, and we are one of the lower-cost LNG suppliers," she added.
The Louisiana LNG venture is a central plank of Woodside’s push into North America, reflecting a strategic bet on continued global demand for gas and expectations of U.S. policy environments that are favorable to fossil fuel projects. Phase 1 of the facility is projected to cost about $17.5 billion.
Woodside has sold a 40% stake in the project to U.S. investment firm Stonepeak, and an additional 10% to U.S.-based energy infrastructure firm Williams (WMB.N). The first phase foresees building a three-train processing facility with total capacity of 16.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). Because Woodside has sold down half of the plant, it will have just over 8 mtpa of LNG to place with long-term buyers.
Under the supply arrangement with Uniper, the German company will take 1 mtpa of LNG from the Louisiana facility for 13 years, with the option to source up to an additional 1 mtpa from Woodside’s global portfolio. Deliveries from Louisiana LNG are scheduled to begin in 2030, when the project is slated for commissioning.
While Woodside highlights customer interest and competitive positioning on costs, the company’s experience so far illustrates how fee structure and price sensitivity remain central to securing long-dated contracts in the U.S. LNG market. Buyers appear willing to weigh contract duration and supply diversification against the immediate headline costs of liquefaction, creating a negotiating dynamic in which fee levels can determine how quickly a new project sells down its marketed volumes.
For Woodside, finding price points that both preserve project economics and meet buyer expectations will be critical to filling the remainder of its marketed 8 mtpa ahead of the 2030 commissioning timeline.