Australia's North West Shelf Project Offers Tender to Sell Five LNG Cargoes

Australia's North West Shelf liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant on Monday launched a tender to sell at least five cargoes from April, a source with direct knowledge told news agency Reuters.

Woodside-operated North West Shelf (NWS) project is a joint venture between six major international companies.  It is one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers, supplying oil and gas to Australian and international markets from huge offshore gas and condensate fields in the Carnarvon Basin off the north-west coast of Australia.

According to Reuters the plant expects to sell the supply in two tranches with final bids for the cargoes due by Jan. 26.

The unexpected tender signals a delay of around three months to reforms of how NWS will market supply, which will see the plant's six stakeholders be allowed to market their equity share of spot cargoes directly, the news agency added.

Apart from Woodside other stakeholders are BHP Billiton, BP, Chevron, Japan Australia LNG and Shell.