EXCLUSIVE-Woodside struggles to sell LNG volumes at Louisiana LNG plant, sources say

By Curtis Williams and Helen Clark

HOUSTON/PERTH, April 30 (Reuters) - Australia's Woodside Energy WDS.AX is struggling to sell liquefied natural gas volumes from its planned Louisiana LNG export facility because it is seeking liquefaction fees above prevailing U.S. market rates, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The Australian energy producer has so far announced only one long‑term sales and purchase agreement for the project, a deal with Germany’s Uniper UN0k.DE covering up to 2 million metric tons per year, equivalent to about 25% of Woodside’s share of the plant’s output.

Liquefaction fees are charged by producers on top of the base energy price to turn natural gas to liquid for transport. They've been rising amid labor shortages, increasing construction costs, and strong demand that's been further boosted by the ongoing Iran conflict, but the resistance Woodside is facing could signal a ceiling on what buyers are willing to pay for U.S. LNG.

“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.

According to that person, Woodside initially sought liquefaction fees above $2.80 per million British thermal units, compared with broader U.S. market rates of around $2.40 to $2.50 per mmBtu. Cheniere Energy LNG.N - the largest U.S. producer - charges slightly higher fees around $2.60, while Venture Global VG.N is among the lowest at about $2.30, the source said.

Another source familiar with pricing discussions said Woodside’s offering has been attractive in some respects, including contract duration, but that pricing has proven to be a 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 HAS REPORTED STRONG CUSTOMER INTEREST

Woodside declined to comment. However, speaking on the company’s earnings call last week, CEO Liz Westcott said customer interest remained strong and that the company was comfortable with progress at Louisiana LNG.

“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 has formed part of Woodside’s expansion strategy into North America, betting on a pro-fossil fuel administration in the U.S. and growing global demand for gas.

The first phase of the project involves building a three‑train, or processing unit, facility with total capacity of 16.5 mtpa. Given that Woodside has sold down 50% of the plant, it has just over 8 mtpa of LNG to market through long‑term contracts.

Woodside's supply deal with Uniper will see the German firm take 1 mtpa of LNG from Louisiana for 13 years as well as up to an additional 1 mtpa from its global portfolio. Deliveries are expected to start in 2030, when Louisiana LNG is scheduled to be commissioned.