To Better Compete,US LNG Project Developers Eye Innovative Contracts

摘要

Smaller developers of US LNG export projects are offering innovative contract terms to fend off fierce competition from major portfolio players with deep pockets that can sanction their terminals without having long-term sales contracts in place.”I am concerned about the development of an oligopoly,where the big guys get bigger and bigger,”said Vivek Chandra,chief executive of the independent Texas LNG project.With equity owners increasingly responsible for the offtake of project volumes,”we are perpetuating the control of just a few big players,”Chandra said at the LNGgc Asia conference last week in Singapore.To differentiate itself in this challenging market,one US developer is offering Brent-linked contracts in response to buyers’needs,marking a shift from the familiar Henry Hub-linked contracts.