# Woodside's $5B LNG Bet: Southeast Asia's Next Energy Hub Takes Shape

Woodside Energy just locked in a major play. The Australian energy giant signed a cooperation agreement with Timor-Leste to develop a massive LNG facility for the Greater Sunrise gas fields—and they're moving *fast*.

**Here's what's happening:**

They're building a greenfield LNG project targeting **5 million tonnes per annum** capacity. First gas could flow by **2032-2035**. The deal includes not just LNG production but also a domestic gas facility and helium extraction plant—so it's a full-stack energy infrastructure play.

Woodside and Timor-Leste's Ministry of Petroleum will run parallel workstreams: technical/commercial maturation on one side, while negotiating fiscal and legal terms with both the Timor-Leste and Australian governments on the other.

**Why this matters:**

- **Geopolitics**: With Australia-China tensions heating up, Timor-Leste becomes a strategic energy bridge for the Indo-Pacific
- **Scale**: 5 MTPA is no joke—that's serious LNG export capacity entering a tight global market post-2030
- **Timeline**: 2032-2035 is aggressive but doable if permitting moves smoothly
- **Helium angle**: Extracting helium alongside LNG adds revenue diversification

**The risk**: Permitting and fiscal negotiations with two governments can drag. But if they hit 2032, this could reshape regional energy flows.

Woodside trading flat at AUD 25.11 on ASX.