Woodside Positioned as Global LNG Powerhouse

Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Australian energy company Woodside Energy Group (Perth) said it's ascending as a powerhouse in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, with facilities in North America and at home.

Alongside the United States and Qatar, Australia is among the largest producers of natural gas and exporters of LNG in the world. While U.S.-supplied LNG largely targets markets in the European Union, Australia is a dominant supplier in the Asian market.

Woodside on Tuesday said it could play it both ways, with deliveries from domestic basins and an interest in emerging opportunities in the United States. At home, the company said its Scarborough project in Western Australia is 86% completed, with the debut delivery of LNG expected during the second half of next year.

The gas reserves situated about 230 miles off the coast of Australia in the Greater Scarborough basin are estimated at around 13 trillion cubic feet. That would support a plant capacity of 8 million metric tons per annum (MMTPA) of gas in the liquid form, coming from modifications to the first liquefaction unit, or train, and the addition of a second one.

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A profile from the Institute for Energy Economics found that China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan take in around 90% of total Australian LNG exports, leaving it vulnerable to economic conditions in just a few markets.

Woodside's exposure, however, is global, with LNG stakes in North America as well.

"In April we took a final investment decision on Louisiana LNG, positioning Woodside as a global LNG powerhouse able to meet growing customer demand in the Pacific and Atlantic Basins," Meg O'Neill, the company's chief executive officer, said Tuesday. "The project's compelling value proposition was reinforced with key infrastructure, offtake, and gas supply agreements signed with high-quality partners."

Woodside made a final investment decision (FID) on the Louisiana LNG facility in April, with the first batch of super-cooled natural gas available for exports expected by 2029. The facility is considered large-scale, with an export potential of 5.2 MMPTA.

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Woodside renamed the facility after it completed its buyout of LNG developer Tellurian Incorporated in October. It previously had been named Driftwood LNG.

Across its portfolio, Woodside said its plant performance was stellar, with LNG plant reliability running at 96% so far this year. Elsewhere, the company said it was shifting its focus away from exploration and production so that it could focus on its balance sheet.

Net profit after tax was US$1.3 billion, down 32% from the same six-month period in 2024. Its realized price for a barrel of equivalent of $61.80 was down 1% from year-ago levels. The price for Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, was trading at around $66 per barrel on Tuesday.

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