By: OrePulse

Qatar's state-owned QatarEnergy has signed two long-term sale and purchase agreements with Cheniere Energy to buy up to 4 million tonnes per year (Mt/yr) of liquefied natural gas from 2031 through 2054. The company was separately holding advanced talks with Venture Global for at least 3 Mt/yr more, as it worked to diversify its sources of LNG supply.

The two Cheniere agreements were signed on Thursday, October 22, 2026. They split the committed volume evenly between two US Gulf Coast terminals: 2 Mt/yr from Cheniere's Sabine Pass facility in Louisiana and 2 Mt/yr from its Corpus Christi facility in Texas. Deliveries under both agreements will be made on a free-on-board (FOB) basis.

Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy Chief Executive Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi signed the two sale and purchase agreements (SPAs) alongside Cheniere Chairman and Chief Executive Jack Fusco. Al-Kaabi said the signing "marks an important milestone in our LNG strategy." He said the purchase "will expand and diversify our global LNG portfolio..."

Separately, QatarEnergy was in advanced but unfinalized talks with Venture Global for at least 3 Mt/yr more under a proposed long-term agreement, according to a Reuters report citing informed sources. Neither QatarEnergy nor Venture Global had released official details of those discussions.

Should the Venture Global talks conclude at the volumes under discussion, QatarEnergy's combined long-term purchase commitments with Cheniere and Venture Global could reach at least 7 Mt/yr in total. Of that, 3 Mt/yr depends on the Venture Global deal being finalized. The Reuters report said the agreement, if signed, could become QatarEnergy's second major long-term supply deal with a US LNG exporter this year.

The report also said Venture Global held large volumes of LNG that were not yet tied to long-term sales contracts, a position that gave it flexibility in the negotiations. Venture Global was expected to become the second-largest LNG exporter in the United States once its CP2 project in Louisiana began operating, the report said.

The push for additional US supply came as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained disrupted. QatarEnergy had bought spot cargoes of US LNG to help meet some customers' needs during the disruption. Some gas facilities at Ras Laffan sustained damage in March 2026, adding to the need for supply from outside the Gulf region.

In recent months, QatarEnergy had held talks with several US LNG companies, including Cheniere, Venture Global and Woodside, about multi-year contracts to help replace the affected supply, according to the report.

QatarEnergy already held a stake in US LNG production through the Golden Pass LNG project, in which it held a 70% interest alongside a 30% stake held by ExxonMobil. Golden Pass was targeted to reach approximately 18 Mt/yr of capacity once fully operational.

QatarEnergy said the additional US volumes would complement its existing supplies and strengthen its ability to serve customers worldwide. The company added that the agreements reflected confidence in the long-term role of LNG in the global energy mix, as it built what it described as a more flexible and diversified portfolio.