QatarEnergy turns to US LNG with Woodside deal as Hormuz force majeure drags on

Show caption: FILE PHOTO: QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) produc…

Agreement makes the world’s top LNG exporter the largest buyer of US gas

• QatarEnergy will buy up to three million tonnes a year of LNG from Woodside’s Louisiana LNG project under a 20-year deal, with first deliveries expected in 2030.
• The volumes make QatarEnergy the largest buyer of US LNG, adding to its Golden Pass stake in Texas and a Cheniere supply deal signed last week.
• Doha is building up US supply as a hedge while it keeps extending force majeure on its own shipments, now to the end of December.
• An Iranian strike on Ras Laffan knocked out about 17 per cent of Qatar’s LNG capacity, and repairs could take up to five years.

QatarEnergy has signed a 20-year agreement to buy up to three million tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas from Woodside Energy’s Louisiana LNG project. The deal deepens Doha’s push into US supply, which it is using to hedge against disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

Supplies will be delivered free-on-board. They will start when the project’s second train begins operating and rise to the full three million tonnes when the third train starts up. QNA, the state news agency, said it expects first deliveries in 2030.

“These additional volumes make QatarEnergy the largest buyer of LNG from the US,” said Saad Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy’s president and chief executive. He added that the company’s Golden Pass project in Texas and its growing portfolio of US purchases support its “long-term growth and diversification strategy”.

Liz Westcott, Woodside’s chief executive, called the agreement “a strong vote of confidence in Louisiana LNG”. The project, near Lake Charles, will have three trains with a combined capacity of 16.5 million tonnes a year. It took a final investment decision in April last year and is targeting first LNG in 2029.

The deal comes a week after QatarEnergy agreed to buy four million tonnes a year from Cheniere through 2054. Golden Pass began exports in March.

It also comes as QatarEnergy keeps extending force majeure on its own shipments. This week Italy’s Edison said the Qatari state company had pushed force majeure on deliveries to the end of December, from early December. Buyers in Pakistan and Bangladesh were told the notices would run to year-end, Reuters reported. Bangladesh’s Petrobangla said it was buying spot cargoes at “a significant cost”.

An Iranian strike on Ras Laffan knocked out about 17 per cent of Qatar’s LNG capacity. QatarEnergy has warned repairs could take up to five years.

Updated:

October 29, 2026, 1:10 PM