The QatarEnergy Woodside LNG deal, signed on Thursday 29 October 2026, will see the Gulf state’s national energy company buy 3 mtpa of liquefied natural gas from Woodside Energy’s Louisiana LNG project. The sale and purchase agreement runs for 20 years, with free-on-board deliveries due to start in 2030, according to Qatar’s state news agency QNA.
As a result, the world’s largest LNG exporter becomes the largest buyer of US LNG. “These additional volumes make QatarEnergy the largest buyer of LNG from the US,” said Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s minister of state for energy affairs and QatarEnergy’s chief executive.
A hedge against another Hormuz closure
The purchase forms part of a trading strategy that centres on the risk to the Strait of Hormuz, Al-Kaabi told Reuters. All of Qatar’s exports pass through the strait, and the country supplies about a fifth of the world’s LNG.
“In a scenario where you have a closure of the strait, which is the true contingency that we’re looking to have, you’d immediately see a spike in gas price,” he said. In that case, US cargoes would earn revenue that QatarEnergy would otherwise lose.
However, Al-Kaabi said the US volumes cannot back up existing long-term customers. Those contracts are point-to-point, tying deliveries to specific terminals and destinations.
QatarEnergy Woodside LNG deal follows Cheniere agreements
The deal comes a week after QatarEnergy signed two agreements with Cheniere Energy for up to 4 mtpa through 2054. That supply will come from Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi, with first deliveries expected in 2031. Together, the two deals add 7 mtpa in two weeks.
“There’s more to come,” Al-Kaabi told Reuters. He said the target is “much higher” than 7 mtpa, but declined to give a figure. QatarEnergy is in talks with “everybody”, including Venture Global, he added. Last week, Reuters reported that Venture Global had reached advanced talks to supply 3 mtpa. In addition, QatarEnergy owns a stake in the Golden Pass LNG plant in Texas, which began exports in March 2026.
What Woodside gets from the QatarEnergy Woodside LNG deal
For Woodside, the contract is a vote of confidence in a large US project. Indeed, chief executive Liz Westcott called it “a strong vote of confidence in Louisiana LNG”, The National reported. The plant near Lake Charles will have three trains with a combined capacity of 16.5 mtpa. It took a final investment decision in April 2025 and targets first LNG in 2029.
Deliveries to Qatar will start when the second train begins operating. Then they will rise to the full 3 mtpa once the third train starts up.
Background: Qatar’s own exports remain halted
QatarEnergy halted LNG production in early March 2026 after Iranian missile attacks. It declared force majeure to affected buyers on 4 March 2026. This week, as we reported, it extended that force majeure to the end of 2026 for buyers in Italy, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The Iranian strike on Ras Laffan knocked out about 17% of Qatar’s LNG capacity, according to The National. Al-Kaabi has said the two damaged trains would take about three years to repair. Even so, the undamaged plants could restart within a week of a peace deal if ships were available, he said.
What comes next
Moreover, Al-Kaabi expects to sign more 20- to 25-year supply deals with US and other producers this year. Therefore, further agreements, possibly with Venture Global, could follow before the end of 2026. The QatarEnergy Woodside LNG deal and the Cheniere contracts matter for Asian and European buyers. Together, they show that Qatar is building a portfolio that can keep trading even if Hormuz shuts again.
For a deeper analysis, read: QatarEnergy US LNG Deals: Why the Biggest Exporter Is Buying 7 mtpa as a Hormuz Hedge
