One worry hanging over shares of Cheniere Energy (LNG), the first company to get an unrestricted license to export liquified natural gas (LNG) to any country in the world, was what would happen if some of the customers that signed a long-term contract to buy LNG from Cheniere decide that they wanted to break their contracts because of lower prices for natural gas.
Well, now we have one example of exactly what happens–nothing. Which is good news for investors who own Cheniere.
GAIL, India’s largest importer of LNG, told Cheniere that it wanted to renegotiate pricing under a 2011 Sales and Purchase Agreement. Cheniere, looking at the take or pay contract it had with GAIL, declined to renegotiate. And that, for the moment, at least, seems to be that. GAIL is still contractually obligated to buy 3.5 million metic tons of LNG per year for the next 20 year for a fixed fee of $548 million.
Not exactly an insignificant outcome given that these long-term contracts underpin the debt that Cheniere has used to finance its construction of its two liquefaction plants at Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi.
Shares of Cheniere, a member of my Jubak Picks portfolio, are up 0.98% in the last month, 1.46% in the last three months, and 14.43% for 2017 to date as of the close on July 13.
The price for natural gas has tumbled from $3.267 per million BTUs on January 1 to $2.961 at the close on July 13.
