Cheniere Energy, Inc. (LNG)
SIC breadcrumb: Transportation, Communications, Electric, Gas, And Sanitary Services > Electric, Gas, And Sanitary Services > SIC 4924 Natural Gas Distribution
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=3570. Latest filing source: 0000003570-26-000005.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Risk Factors
Read LNG's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 19,976,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-26 |
| Net income | 5,330,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-26 |
| Assets | 47,882,000,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-26 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-26. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0000003570.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2012 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 1,283,000,000 | 5,601,000,000 | 7,987,000,000 | 9,730,000,000 | 9,358,000,000 | 15,864,000,000 | 33,428,000,000 | 20,394,000,000 | 15,703,000,000 | 19,976,000,000 | |
| Net income | -610,000,000 | -393,000,000 | 471,000,000 | 648,000,000 | -85,000,000 | -2,343,000,000 | 1,428,000,000 | 9,881,000,000 | 3,252,000,000 | 5,330,000,000 | |
| Operating income | -30,000,000 | 1,388,000,000 | 2,024,000,000 | 2,361,000,000 | 2,631,000,000 | -701,000,000 | 4,559,000,000 | 15,489,000,000 | 6,128,000,000 | 9,112,000,000 | |
| Diluted EPS | -2.67 | -1.68 | 1.90 | 2.51 | -0.34 | -9.25 | 5.64 | 40.72 | 14.20 | 24.13 | |
| Operating cash flow | -404,000,000 | 1,231,000,000 | 1,990,000,000 | 1,833,000,000 | 1,265,000,000 | 2,469,000,000 | 10,523,000,000 | 8,418,000,000 | 5,394,000,000 | 5,539,000,000 | |
| Capital expenditures | 4,356,000,000 | 3,357,000,000 | 3,643,000,000 | 3,056,000,000 | 1,839,000,000 | 966,000,000 | 1,830,000,000 | 2,121,000,000 | 2,238,000,000 | 3,078,000,000 | |
| Dividends paid | 0.00 | 0.00 | 85,000,000 | 349,000,000 | 393,000,000 | 412,000,000 | 451,000,000 | ||||
| Share buybacks | 20,414,000 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 249,000,000 | 155,000,000 | 9,000,000 | 1,373,000,000 | 1,473,000,000 | 2,262,000,000 | 2,724,000,000 | |
| Assets | 23,703,000,000 | 27,906,000,000 | 31,987,000,000 | 35,492,000,000 | 35,697,000,000 | 39,258,000,000 | 41,266,000,000 | 43,076,000,000 | 43,858,000,000 | 47,882,000,000 | |
| Liabilities | 34,056,000,000 | 33,798,000,000 | 34,804,000,000 | ||||||||
| Stockholders' equity | -1,396,000,000 | -1,764,000,000 | -526,000,000 | -14,000,000 | -191,000,000 | -2,571,000,000 | -2,969,000,000 | 5,060,000,000 | 5,699,000,000 | 7,915,000,000 | |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 876,000,000 | 722,000,000 | 981,000,000 | 2,474,000,000 | 1,628,000,000 | 1,404,000,000 | 1,353,000,000 | 4,066,000,000 | 2,638,000,000 | 1,099,000,000 | |
| Free cash flow | -4,760,000,000 | -2,126,000,000 | -1,653,000,000 | -1,223,000,000 | -574,000,000 | 1,503,000,000 | 8,693,000,000 | 6,297,000,000 | 3,156,000,000 | 2,461,000,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2012 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | -47.54% | -7.02% | 5.90% | 6.66% | -0.91% | -14.77% | 4.27% | 48.45% | 20.71% | 26.68% | |
| Operating margin | -2.34% | 24.78% | 25.34% | 24.27% | 28.11% | -4.42% | 13.64% | 75.95% | 39.02% | 45.61% | |
| Return on equity | 195.28% | 57.06% | 67.34% | ||||||||
| Return on assets | -2.57% | -1.41% | 1.47% | 1.83% | -0.24% | -5.97% | 3.46% | 22.94% | 7.41% | 11.13% | |
| Liabilities / equity | 6.73 | 5.93 | 4.40 | ||||||||
| Current ratio | 2.08 | 2.69 | 2.43 | 2.25 | 1.44 | 1.08 | 0.83 | 1.63 | 1.08 | 0.94 |
Industry Peer Context
Net margin peer context
Operating margin peer context
ROE peer context
ROA peer context
Financial Bridges
Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0000003570-26-000005; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0000003570-26-000005; concept PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | Free cash flow: accession 0000003570-26-000005; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment
Financial Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: Revenues. Source concepts: us-gaap:Revenues.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: PaymentsOfDividends. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsOfDividends.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0000003570-26-000005; filed 2026-02-26. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-05-07. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0000003570.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q2 | 2022-06-30 | 2.90 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2022-Q3 | 2022-09-30 | -9.54 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | 22.10 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-03-31 | 5,434,000,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | 4,102,000,000 | 5.61 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-06-30 | 1,369,000,000 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | 4,159,000,000 | 7.03 | reported discrete quarter | |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 4,823,000,000 | 1,377,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | 4,253,000,000 | 502,000,000 | 2.13 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | 3,251,000,000 | 880,000,000 | 3.84 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | 3,763,000,000 | 893,000,000 | 3.93 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 4,436,000,000 | 977,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | 5,444,000,000 | 353,000,000 | 1.57 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 4,641,000,000 | 1,626,000,000 | 7.30 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 4,441,000,000 | 1,049,000,000 | 4.75 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 5,450,000,000 | 2,302,000,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 5,868,000,000 | -3,502,000,000 | -16.65 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0000003570-26-000014; filed 2026-05-07. Concept: Revenues. Source concepts: us-gaap:Revenues.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0000003570-26-000014; filed 2026-05-07. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-03-31; accession 0000003570-26-000014; filed 2026-05-07. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0000003570-26-000014.
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This quarterly report contains certain statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements, other than statements of historical or present facts or conditions, included herein or incorporated herein by reference are “forward-looking statements.” Included among “forward-looking statements” are, among other things:
•statements that we expect to commence or complete construction of our proposed LNG terminals, liquefaction facilities, pipeline facilities or other projects, or any expansions or portions thereof, by certain dates, or at all;
•statements regarding future levels of domestic and international natural gas production, supply or consumption or future levels of LNG imports into or exports from North America and other countries worldwide or purchases of natural gas, regardless of the source of such information, or the transportation or other infrastructure or demand for and prices related to natural gas, LNG or other hydrocarbon products;
•statements regarding any financing transactions or arrangements, or our ability to enter into such transactions;
•statements relating to Cheniere’s capital deployment, including intent, ability, extent and timing of capital expenditures, debt repayment, dividends, share repurchases and execution on the capital allocation plan;
•statements regarding our future sources of liquidity and cash requirements;
•statements relating to the construction of our Trains and pipelines, including statements concerning the engagement of any EPC contractor or other contractor and the anticipated terms and provisions of any agreement with any EPC or other contractor, and anticipated costs related thereto;
•statements regarding any SPA or other agreement to be entered into or performed substantially in the future, including any revenues anticipated to be received and the anticipated timing thereof, and statements regarding the amounts of total LNG regasification, natural gas liquefaction or storage capacities that are, or may become, subject to contracts;
•statements regarding counterparties to our commercial contracts, construction contracts and other contracts;
•statements regarding our planned development and construction of additional Trains or pipelines, including the financing of such Trains or pipelines;
•statements that our Trains, when completed, will have certain characteristics, including amounts of liquefaction capacities;
•statements regarding our business strategy, our strengths, our business and operation plans or any other plans, forecasts, projections, or objectives, including anticipated revenues, capital expenditures, maintenance and operating costs and cash flows, any or all of which are subject to change;
•statements relating to our goals, commitments and strategies in relation to environmental matters;
•statements regarding legislative, governmental, regulatory, administrative or other public body actions, approvals, requirements, permits, applications, filings, investigations, proceedings or decisions;
•statements regarding our anticipated LNG and natural gas marketing activities; and
•any other statements that relate to non-historical or future information.
All of these types of statements, other than statements of historical or present facts or conditions, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “achieve,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “pursue,” “target,” the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. The forward-looking statements contained in this quarterly report are largely based on our expectations, which reflect estimates and assumptions made by our management. These estimates and assumptions reflect our best judgment based on currently known market conditions and other factors. Although we believe that such estimates are reasonable, they are inherently uncertain and involve a number of risks and uncertainties beyond our control. In addition, assumptions may prove to be inaccurate. We caution that
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the forward-looking statements contained in this quarterly report are not guarantees of future performance and that such statements may not be realized or the forward-looking statements or events may not occur. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors described in this quarterly report and in the other reports and other information that we file with the SEC, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these risk factors. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and other than as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement or provide reasons why actual results may differ, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Introduction
The following discussion and analysis presents management’s view of our business, financial condition and overall performance and should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. This information is intended to provide investors with an understanding of our past performance, current financial condition and outlook for the future.
Our discussion and analysis includes the following subjects:
•Overview
•Overview of Significant Events
•Results of Operations
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
•Recent Accounting Standards
Overview
Cheniere, a Delaware corporation, is a Houston-based energy infrastructure company primarily engaged in LNG-related businesses. We provide clean, secure and affordable LNG to integrated energy companies, utilities and energy trading companies around the world. We aspire to conduct our business in a safe and responsible manner, delivering a reliable, competitive and integrated source of LNG to our customers.
LNG is natural gas (primarily methane) in liquid form and is a cleaner dispatchable fuel for power generation. The LNG we produce is shipped all over the world, converted back into natural gas (called “regasification”) and then transported via pipeline to homes and businesses and used as an energy source that is essential for heating, cooking and other industrial uses.
As of March 31, 2026, we were the largest producer of LNG in the U.S. and the second largest LNG operator globally, based on the total production capacity of our natural gas liquefaction facilities. Our total production capacity is expected to be over 60 mtpa of LNG, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities, of which approximately 8 mtpa was under construction and the remainder was in operation as of March 31, 2026, comprised of the following:
•over 30 mtpa of total production capacity in operation from natural gas liquefaction facilities located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana at Sabine Pass (the “SPL Project”). We own and operate the SPL Project and export facility (the “Sabine Pass LNG Terminal”), one of the largest LNG production facilities in the world, through our ownership interest in and management agreements with CQP, which is a publicly traded limited partnership. As of March 31, 2026, we owned 100% of the general partner interest, a 48.6% limited partner interest and 100% of the incentive distribution rights of CQP. The Sabine Pass LNG Terminal also has five LNG storage tanks with aggregate capacity of approximately 17 Bcfe and vaporizers with regasification capacity of approximately 4 Bcf/d, as well as three marine berths, two of which can accommodate vessels with nominal capacity of up to 266,000 cubic meters and the third berth, which can accommodate vessels with nominal capacity of up to 200,000 cubic meters. We also own and operate through CQP a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several large interstate and intrastate pipelines (the “Creole Trail Pipeline”).
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•over 30 mtpa of total expected production capacity, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities, including approximately 8 mtpa under construction and the remainder in operation as of March 31, 2026, from our natural gas liquefaction and export facility located near Corpus Christi, Texas (the “Corpus Christi LNG Terminal”), of which we have 100% ownership interest. The Corpus Christi LNG Terminal also has three LNG storage tanks with aggregate capacity of approximately 10 Bcfe and two marine berths that can each accommodate vessels with nominal capacity of up to 266,000 cubic meters. We also own and operate through CCP an approximately 21-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal with several large interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines (the “Corpus Christi Pipeline”). The projects under construction at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal include:
◦a project consisting of seven midscale Trains that is expected to add total production capacity of over 10 mtpa of LNG once fully completed (the “Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project”), with approximately 3 mtpa under construction and the remainder in operation from the first five midscale Trains that have reached substantial completion as of March 31, 2026; and
◦a project consisting of two additional midscale Trains that is expected to add total production capacity of approximately 5 mtpa of LNG once fully completed, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities (the “CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project” and together with the existing assets at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal, the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and the Corpus Christi Pipeline, the “CCL Project”), which was under construction as of March 31, 2026.
Our long-term counterparty arrangements form the foundation of our business and provide us with significant, stable, long-term cash flows, and include SPAs, in which our customers are generally required to pay a fixed fee with respect to the contracted volumes irrespective of their election to cancel or suspend deliveries of LNG cargoes, and long-term IPM agreements, in which a gas producer sells natural gas to us on a global LNG or natural gas index price, less a fixed liquefaction fee, shipping and other costs. The SPAs also have a variable fee component, which is primarily indexed to Henry Hub and generally structured to cover the cost of natural gas purchases, transportation and liquefaction fuel consumed to produce LNG. Since we procure most of our feedstock for LNG production from the U.S., the structure of these contracts helps limit our exposure to fluctuations in U.S. natural gas prices. Through our SPAs and long-term IPM agreements currently in effect, with approximately 15 years of weighted average remaining life as of March 31, 2026, we have contracted approximately 90% of the total anticipated production from the SPL Project and the CCL Project (collectively, the “Liquefaction Projects”) through the mid-2030s, excluding volumes from contracts with terms less than 10 years and volumes from SPAs that are conditional on additional liquefaction capacity beyond what is currently in construction or operation, subject to unilateral waiver by us. LNG produced by the Liquefaction Projects that is not contracted under long-term contracts
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Introduction
The following discussion and analysis presents management’s view of our business, financial condition and overall performance and should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. This information is intended to provide investors with an understanding of our past performance, current financial condition and outlook for the future. Discussion of items for the year ended December 31, 2023 and variance drivers between the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to December 31, 2023 are not included herein and can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
Our discussion and analysis includes the following subjects:
•Overview
•Overview of Significant Events
•Market Environment
•Results of Operations
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
•Recent Accounting Standards
Overview
We are an energy infrastructure company primarily engaged in LNG-related businesses. We provide clean, secure and affordable LNG to integrated energy companies, utilities and energy trading companies around the world. We operate two natural gas liquefaction and export facilities at Sabine Pass, Louisiana and near Corpus Christi, Texas. Our long-term counterparty arrangements form the foundation of our business and provide us with significant, stable, long-term cash flows. For further discussion of our business, see Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties.
During 2025, we continued to grow our portfolio of SPA and IPM agreements, and we believe that continued global demand for natural gas and LNG, as further described in Market Factors and Competition in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties, as well as the current geopolitical environment that has intensified the demand for supply security, should enable us to enter into long-term agreements and provide a foundation for additional growth in our business in the future. The continued strength and stability of our long-term cash flows served as the foundation of our updated comprehensive, long-term capital allocation plan announced in June 2024, which includes an increased share repurchase authorization and increased dividends, in addition to a continued decrease in consolidated long-term leverage and investment in accretive organic growth.
Overview of Significant Events
Our significant events since January 1, 2025 and through the filing date of this Form 10-K include the following:
Strategic
Growth
•Following our pre-filing in July 2025, in February 2026, we filed an application with the FERC under the NGA for authorization to site, construct and operate in a phased approach the CCL Expansion Project, a potential further expansion of the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal, inclusive of four liquefaction trains and supporting infrastructure, with an expected total peak production capacity of up to 24 mtpa of LNG, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities.
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•In December 2025, we filed an application with the FERC to increase the LNG production capacity of the previously-authorized Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project by approximately 5 mtpa, which remains pending at the FERC.
•In March 2025, we received authorization from the FERC under the NGA to site, construct and operate the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project, and in June 2025, our Board made a positive FID with respect to the investment in the development, construction and operation of the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project and issued a full notice to proceed with construction to Bechtel under a fixed price separated turnkey EPC contract.
•In June 2025, certain subsidiaries of CQP updated the SPL Expansion Project’s FERC application, originally filed in February 2024, to reflect a two-phased project, inclusive of three liquefaction trains and supporting infrastructure, maintaining an expected total peak production capacity of up to approximately 20 mtpa of LNG, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities.
Commercialization
•In August 2025, Cheniere announced the execution of a long-term LNG SPA between Cheniere Marketing and JERA Co., Inc. (“JERA”), under which JERA has agreed to purchase approximately 1 mtpa of LNG from Cheniere Marketing on an FOB basis from 2029 through 2050. The purchase price for LNG under the SPA is indexed to the Henry Hub price, plus a fixed liquefaction fee.
•In May 2025, Cheniere Marketing entered into an IPM agreement with Canadian Natural Resources Limited to purchase 140,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas at a price based on the Japan Korea Marker, less fixed LNG shipping costs and a fixed liquefaction fee, for a term of approximately 15 years commencing in 2030.
Operational
•As of February 20, 2026, over 4,610 cumulative LNG cargoes totaling over 315 million tonnes of LNG have been produced, loaded and exported from the Liquefaction Projects.
•In March, August, October and December 2025, substantial completions of Trains 1, 2 3 and 4, respectively, of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project were achieved. In February 2026, LNG was produced for the first time from Train 5 of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project.
•During the second quarter of 2025, we completed planned large-scale maintenance activities on two Trains at the SPL Project.
Financial
•In February 2026, our Board approved an increase in our share repurchase authorization to approximately $10 billion from 2026 through 2030 with a $9 billion increase to the existing authorization.
•In February 2026, SPL redeemed the remaining $200 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (the “2026 SPL Senior Notes”).
•In August 2025, we amended and restated our $1.25 billion Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility to, among other things, (1) extend the maturity date thereunder, (2) reduce the interest rate and commitment fees payable thereunder and (3) make certain other changes to the terms and conditions of the existing Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility.
•In July 2025, CQP issued and sold $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.550% Senior Notes due 2035 (the “2035 CQP Senior Notes”), and the net proceeds, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem $1.0 billion of the aggregate principal amount of SPL’s 2026 SPL Senior Notes.
•In June 2025, we announced updates to our company outlook, which included a plan to increase our annualized dividend by over 10% to $2.22 per common share, which commenced with the dividend pertaining to the third quarter of 2025.
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•We received the following upgrades from credit rating agencies, including S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) and Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”):
| Entity | Date | Previous Rating | Upgraded Rating | Rating Agency | Outlook | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheniere | November 2025 | BBB | BBB+ | S&P | Stable | |||||
| CQP | November 2025 | BBB | BBB+ | S&P | Stable | |||||
| CCH | October 2025 | BBB | BBB+ | S&P | Positive | |||||
| Cheniere | February 2025 | BBB- | BBB | Fitch | Stable | |||||
| CQP | February 2025 | BBB- | BBB | Fitch | Stable |
•In addition to the above issuer credit rating upgrades, the unsecured CQP Notes were upgraded from BBB- to BBB by S&P in June 2025, concurrent with the assignment of the 2035 CQP Senior Notes credit rating. S&P also revised its outlook on SPL to positive from stable in December 2025.
•During the year ended December 31, 2025, we accomplished the following pursuant to our capital allocation priorities:
◦We repurchased approximately 12.1 million shares of our common stock as part of our share repurchase program for approximately $2.7 billion.
◦We redeemed and repaid $652 million aggregate principal amount of notes across our complex, comprised of the following:
▪In December 2025, SPL redeemed $300 million aggregate principal amount of its 2026 SPL Senior Notes.
▪In September 2025, SPL repaid $52 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of its series of senior secured notes due 2037 with a weighted average interest rate of 4.746%, based on their respective fixed amortization schedules.
▪In March 2025, SPL repaid the remaining $300 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of its 5.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2025 (the “2025 SPL Senior Notes”) at maturity.
◦We paid dividends of $2.055 per share of common stock during the year ended December 31, 2025.
◦We continued to invest in accretive organic growth, including our investments in the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project, as further described under Investing Cash Flows in Sources and Uses of Cash within Liquidity and Capital Resources.
Market Environment
Our results of operations are affected by the market environment in which we operate, including known trends and uncertainties, macroeconomic factors and other external environmental factors.
With just under 20 mtpa of year on year (“YoY”) increase in LNG supplies globally in 2025, the LNG market is transitioning from a multi-year state of tight market conditions into a period of rapid growth. The continued ramp up in new LNG supplies from the U.S. and Canada mark the start of a more ample supply landscape which is expected to loosen global balances over the next few years and result in a more moderate and stable price environment for LNG. Sustained downward pressure on global prices could potentially unlock latent demand that has otherwise been priced out since the disruption of Russian natural gas supply to Europe.
The increase in supply corresponded to a 5% YoY uptick in trade, which was primarily supported by Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) region amid weaker demand in Asia. Europe’s demand for LNG increased approximately 27% YoY in 2025 reaching a record level of approximately 125 mtpa. The main driver for this growth continues to be the replacement of Russian natural gas and the replenishment of underground storage inventories. We expect this driver to continue to play an important role in keeping LNG demand in Europe resilient, especially in light of the European Parliament’s vote to ban all residual Russian natural gas, including Russian LNG by 2027. The MENA region also contributed to demand growth in 2025 with imports increasing 7 mtpa or 62% versus 2024. Egypt was the main driver of this increase as it resorted to additional LNG imports to satisfy its growing domestic energy needs and supplement its own natural gas production.
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Asia’s LNG consumption however was down about 4% in 2025, dropping by 12 mtpa to 270 mtpa. While many of the major markets in Asia saw YoY declines, China’s was the largest, representing nearly the entire YoY change in the region. China’s LNG imports declined 16% or 12 mtpa YoY, due to broader, likely transient macro-economic challenges. Natural gas demand growth in China slowed in 2025 and higher piped natural gas flows from Russia and robust domestic natural gas production decreased the call on LNG.
Despite weaker demand in Asia and an easing in geopolitical conflicts during the second half of 2025, average prices remained elevated versus 2024. The Japan Korea Marker (“JKM”) monthly settlement prices in 2025 averaged $12.71 per MMBtu, 7.5% higher YoY while those for Title Transfer Facilities (“TTF”) averaged $12.04 per MMBtu, 10.3% higher YoY. Strong storage injections, an increase in LNG supply and expectations of mild weather resulted in downward pressure in the second half of the year with monthly settlements averaging at least $1.76 per MMBtu lower for JKM and $2.34 per MMBtu lower for TTF versus the first half of the year. Henry Hub monthly settlements averaged $3.43 per MMBtu during 2025.
As referenced above, expectations of significant LNG capacity expansions in the next few years, and the recent momentum in FIDs if continued, are likely to keep the price trajectory trending lower in Asia and Europe. We expect the price elastic markets, particularly in Asia, to respond to the increased availability and affordability of supply by growing imports to satisfy latent demand as well as organic longer-term growth.
Results of Operations
Consolidated results of operations
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except per share data) | 2025 | 2024 | Variance | |||||||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||||||||||
| LNG revenues | $ | 19,435 | $ | 14,899 | $ | 4,536 | ||||||||||
| Regasification revenues | 136 | 135 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Other revenues | 405 | 669 | (264) | |||||||||||||
| Total revenues | 19,976 | 15,703 | 4,273 | |||||||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses | ||||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales (excluding operating and maintenance expense and depreciation, amortization and accretion expense shown separately below) | 7,150 | 6,021 | 1,129 | |||||||||||||
| Operating and maintenance expense | 1,966 | 1,857 | 109 | |||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expense | 383 | 441 | (58) | |||||||||||||
| Depreciation, amortization and accretion expense | 1,329 | 1,220 | 109 | |||||||||||||
| Other operating costs and expenses | 36 | 36 | — | |||||||||||||
| Total operating costs and expenses | 10,864 | 9,575 | 1,289 | |||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 9,112 | 6,128 | 2,984 | |||||||||||||
| Other income (expense) | ||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net of capitalized interest | (948) | (1,010) | 62 | |||||||||||||
| Gain (loss) on modification or extinguishment of debt | (8) | (9) | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Interest and dividend income | 106 | 189 | (83) | |||||||||||||
| Other income, net | 20 | 5 | 15 | |||||||||||||
| Total other expense | (830) | (825) | (5) | |||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes and NCI | 8,282 | 5,303 | 2,979 | |||||||||||||
| Less: income tax provision | 1,488 | 811 | 677 | |||||||||||||
| Net income | 6,794 | 4,492 | 2,302 | |||||||||||||
| Less: net income attributable to NCI | 1,464 | 1,240 | 224 | |||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to Cheniere | $ | 5,330 | $ | 3,252 | $ | 2,078 | ||||||||||
| Net income per share attributable to common stockholders—basic | $ | 24.19 | $ | 14.24 | $ | 9.95 | ||||||||||
| Net income per share attributable to common stockholders—diluted | $ | 24.13 | $ | 14.20 | $ | 9.93 |
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Volumes loaded and recognized from the Liquefaction Projects
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in TBtu) | Operational | Commissioning | Total | Operational | Commissioning | Total | |||||||||||||||||
| Volumes loaded during the current period | 2,400 | 24 | 2,424 | 2,327 | — | 2,327 | |||||||||||||||||
| Volumes loaded during the prior period but recognized during the current period | 39 | — | 39 | 37 | — | 37 | |||||||||||||||||
| Less: volumes loaded during the current period and in transit at the end of the period | (23) | (1) | (24) | (39) | — | (39) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total volumes recognized in the current period | 2,416 | 23 | 2,439 | 2,325 | — | 2,325 |
Components of LNG revenues and corresponding LNG volumes delivered
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Variance | ||||||||||||||
| LNG revenues (in millions): | ||||||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | $ | 14,804 | $ | 12,144 | $ | 2,660 | ||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements (2) | 3,794 | 2,345 | 1,449 | |||||||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties (2) | 226 | 280 | (54) | |||||||||||||
| Net derivative gain (loss) | 344 | (73) | 417 | |||||||||||||
| Other revenues | 267 | 203 | 64 | |||||||||||||
| Total LNG revenues | $ | 19,435 | $ | 14,899 | $ | 4,536 | ||||||||||
| Volumes delivered as LNG revenues (in TBtu): | ||||||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | 2,095 | 2,118 | (23) | |||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements (2) | 321 | 207 | 114 | |||||||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties (2) | 22 | 24 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| Total volumes delivered as LNG revenues | 2,438 | 2,349 | 89 |
(1)Long-term agreements include agreements with an initial tenor of 12 months or more.
(2)Includes volumes sold under short-term agreements and volumes sold from natural gas procured under IPM agreements.
2025 vs. 2024
Net income attributable to Cheniere increased by $2.1 billion during the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024 primarily due to $2.3 billion of favorable changes in the fair value of agreements accounted for as derivative instruments (before tax and the impact of NCI), largely associated with our derivatives related to IPM agreements, and an $876 million increase in revenues, net of cost of natural gas feedstock, from increased volume of LNG loaded and recognized between the years. Partially offsetting these favorable changes was an increased tax provision of $677 million. The following is an expanded discussion of the significant drivers of the variance in net income attributable to Cheniere by line item:
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Total revenues
The $4.3 billion increase in total revenues during the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024 was primarily attributable to:
•$2.9 billion increase due to higher pricing per MMBtu primarily from increased Henry Hub pricing, to which the majority of our long-term LNG sales contracts are indexed;
•$1.2 billion increase due to higher volumes of LNG delivered between the periods, primarily as a result of increased production volume due to the substantial completions of the first four Trains of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project in 2025;
•$417 million increase in gains from agreements accounted for as derivative instruments included in revenues, largely due to the impact of declines in global gas prices and volatility within our derivatives related to financial positions to economically hedge the purchase and sale of physical LNG, of which the gain between the years was attributable to a $223 million gain from favorable changes in fair value of agreements accounted for as derivatives and a $194 million gain from the settlement of previously entered derivative instruments; partially offset by
•$243 million decrease in sublease and subcharter income from our LNG vessels due to fewer days the LNG vessels were subcontracted out and at lower rates in the current year as compared to the same period of 2024.
Total operating costs and expenses
The $1.3 billion increase in total operating costs and expenses during the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024 was primarily attributable to:
•$3.1 billion increase in the cost of natural gas feedstock, largely due to the increase in U.S. natural gas prices and to a lesser degree, increased volume of LNG delivered;
•$109 million increase in depreciation, amortization and accretion expense, primarily as a result of the substantial completions of the first four Trains of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project;
•$109 million increase in operating and maintenance expense primarily due to the completion of planned large-scale maintenance activities on two Trains at the SPL Project and additional expenses from the substantial completions of the first four Trains of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project in 2025; partially offset by:
•$2.1 billion of gains from changes in fair value of agreements accounted for as derivative instruments included in cost of sales, largely due to favorable changes on our IPM agreements from the narrowing of global and U.S. domestic natural gas spreads, the effect of which is minimized by the relative change in volatilities of applicable global and U.S. domestic natural gas prices, partially offset by changes in market-based locational forward price differentials for North American natural gas deliveries.
As further discussed in Liquidity and Capital Resources, we will recognize a $370 million reduction to cost of sales due to the realization of certain excise tax credits during the three months ending March 31, 2026.
Total other expense
The $5 million increase in total other expense during the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024 was primarily attributable to:
•$83 million decrease in interest and dividend income as a result of decreased interest rates and lower average cash and cash equivalents balances between the periods; partially offset by
•$62 million decrease in interest expense, net of capitalized interest, due to a $33 million increase in capitalized interest costs given the higher carrying value of assets under construction and additionally due to $29 million lower gross interest costs due to debt reduction activities associated with our long-term capital allocation plan; and
•$15 million increase in other income, net, primarily from a $26 million gain recognized on the sale of our equity interests in an equity method investment during the three months ended March 31, 2025.
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Income tax provision
The $677 million unfavorable variance during the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024 was substantially all attributable to a higher income tax expense due to a $3.0 billion increase in pre-tax income. The effect of the change in our effective tax rate between the comparable periods was not material to our income tax provision.
On July 4, 2025, the OBBBA was signed into law with significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code that impact us, including, among other provisions, reinstating 100% accelerated tax bonus depreciation on qualifying assets acquired after January 19, 2025 and modifying the export-promoting Foreign Derived Intangible Income (“FDII”) deduction rules, renamed to the Foreign Derived Deduction Eligible Income (“FDDEI”) under the OBBBA beginning in 2026.
The legislation did not have a material impact on our income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2025, and it did not materially change our effective income tax rate for 2025; however, commencing with its effectiveness in 2026, we expect that the FDDEI regime will favorably impact our effective tax rate relative to prior policy, as a larger portion of our export-related income is projected to be eligible for a preferential tax rate despite an increase in the tax rate on qualifying sales. The FDDEI regime provides for an effective tax rate of 14%, a rate lower than the statutory corporate tax rate of 21%, on eligible sales of property or services to a foreign person for foreign use. Relative to the prior FDII tax rules, the FDDEI regime increases the effective tax rate on eligible sales but broadens qualifying income by eliminating certain asset-based eligibility constraints and removing the requirement to reduce eligible income by specified allocable expenses.
See Liquidity and Capital Resources for discussion of the impacts of the OBBBA on our liquidity.
Net income attributable to NCI
The $224 million increase during the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024 was primarily attributable to a $477 million increase in CQP’s consolidated net income primarily from favorable changes in fair value of agreements accounted for as derivative instruments.
Significant factors affecting our results of operations
Below are significant factors that affect our results of operations.
Gains and losses on derivative instruments
Derivative instruments, which we use to manage certain risks, are reported at fair value in our Consolidated Financial Statements, unless they satisfy criteria for, and we elect, the normal purchases and normal sales exception which applies the accrual method of accounting, as described in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. For commodity derivative instruments, including those related to our IPM agreements, the underlying LNG sales being economically hedged are accounted for under the accrual method of accounting, whereby revenues expected to be derived from the future LNG sales are recognized only upon delivery or realization of the underlying transaction. Notwithstanding the operational intent to mitigate risk exposure over time, the recognition of derivative instruments at fair value has the effect of recognizing gains or losses relating to future period exposure, and given the significant volumes, long-term duration and volatility in price basis for certain of our derivative contracts, the use of derivative instruments may result in continued volatility of our results of operations based on changes in market pricing, counterparty credit risk and other relevant factors that may be outside of our control. For example, as described in Note 6—Derivative Instruments of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, the fair value of the Liquefaction Supply Derivatives incorporates, as applicable, market participant-based assumptions pertaining to certain contractual uncertainties, including those related to the availability of market information for delivery points, which may require future development of infrastructure, as well as the timing of satisfaction of certain events or development of infrastructure to support natural gas gathering and transport. We may recognize changes in fair value through earnings that could significantly impact our results of operations if and when such uncertainties are resolved.
Commissioning volumes
Prior to substantial completion of a Train, amounts received from the sale of commissioning volumes from that Train are offset against LNG terminal construction-in-process, because these amounts are earned or loaded during the testing phase for
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the construction of that Train and are necessary activities to bring the asset to the condition for its intended use. During the year ended December 31, 2025, we realized offsets to LNG terminal costs of $187 million corresponding to 23 TBtu of LNG that was related to the sale of commissioning volumes associated with the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project. We did not record any offsets to LNG terminal costs during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Additional liquefaction capacities
The Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project are currently under construction and are expected to add over 15 mtpa of operational liquefaction capacity, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities, once all Trains reach substantial completion, of which over 9 mtpa is still under construction as of December 31, 2025. As of December 31, 2025, the first four Trains of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project were in operation, with substantial completions for each Train achieved in March, August, October and December 2025, respectively. The operation and maintenance of these Trains and increased LNG volumes produced are expected to result in higher revenues and operating costs and expenses. However, prior to the commencement of long-term SPAs associated with these volumes, the additional volumes will be sold by our integrated marketing function at prevailing market prices. Additionally, potential expansion projects that increase the amount of LNG volumes produced, including those discussed in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties, would also be expected to result in higher revenues and operating costs and expenses.
Additionally, see Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties for discussion of our business seasonality.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following information describes our ability to generate and obtain adequate amounts of cash to meet our requirements in the short term and the long term. In the short term, we expect to meet our cash requirements using operating cash flows and available liquidity, consisting of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents and available commitments under our credit facilities. Additionally, we expect to meet our long term cash requirements by using operating cash flows and other future potential sources of liquidity, which may include debt and equity offerings by us or our subsidiaries.
The table below provides a summary of our available liquidity (in millions). Future material sources of liquidity are discussed below.
| December 31, 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents (1) | $ | 1,099 |
| Restricted cash and cash equivalents (1) | 485 | |
| Available commitments under our credit facilities (2): | ||
| SPL Revolving Credit Facility | 824 | |
| CQP Revolving Credit Facility | 1,000 | |
| CCH Credit Facility | 2,710 | |
| CCH Working Capital Facility | 1,390 | |
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | 1,250 | |
| Total available commitments under our credit facilities | 7,174 | |
| Total available liquidity | $ | 8,758 |
(1)Amounts presented include balances held by our VIEs, as discussed in Note 8—Non-Controlling Interests and Variable Interest Entities of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. As of December 31, 2025, assets of our VIEs, which are included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, included $182 million of cash and cash equivalents and $22 million of restricted cash and cash equivalents.
(2)Available commitments represent total commitments less loans outstanding and letters of credit issued under each of our credit facilities as of December 31, 2025. See Note 10—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our credit facilities and other debt instruments.
Our liquidity position subsequent to December 31, 2025 will be driven by future sources of liquidity and future cash requirements, as further discussed under the caption Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity.
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Although our sources and uses of cash are presented below from a consolidated standpoint, SPL, CQP, CCH and Cheniere operate with independent capital structures. Certain restrictions or requirements under debt and equity instruments executed by our subsidiaries limit the entity’s use of cash, including the following:
•SPL and CCH are required to deposit all cash received into restricted cash and cash equivalents accounts under certain of their debt agreements. The usage or withdrawal of such cash is restricted to the payment of liabilities related to the Liquefaction Projects and other restricted payments. In addition, SPL and CCH’s operating costs are managed by our subsidiaries under affiliate agreements, which may require SPL and CCH to advance cash to the respective affiliates, however the cash remains restricted for operation and construction of the Liquefaction Projects;
•CQP is required under its partnership agreement to distribute to unitholders all available cash on hand at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. Quarterly distributions by CQP are currently comprised of a base amount plus a variable amount equal to the remaining available cash per unit, which takes into consideration, among other things, amounts reserved for annual debt repayment and capital allocation goals, anticipated capital expenditures to be funded with cash, and cash reserves to provide for the proper conduct of CQP’s business;
•Our 48.6% limited partner interest, 100% general partner interest and incentive distribution rights in CQP limit our right to receive cash held by CQP to the amounts specified by the provisions of CQP’s partnership agreement; and
•SPL and CCH are restricted by affirmative and negative covenants included in certain of their debt agreements in their ability to make certain payments, including distributions, unless specific requirements are satisfied. See Note 10—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on these covenants.
Despite the restrictions noted above, we believe that sufficient flexibility exists within the Cheniere complex to enable each independent capital structure to meet its currently anticipated cash requirements. The sources of liquidity at SPL, CQP and CCH primarily fund the cash requirements of the respective entity, and any remaining liquidity not subject to restriction, as supplemented by liquidity provided by Cheniere Marketing, is available to enable Cheniere to meet its cash requirements.
Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity
The following discussion of our future sources and uses of liquidity includes estimates that reflect management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2025. Estimates are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially as a result of a variety of factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K.
Future Sources of Liquidity under Executed Contracts
We expect future material sources of liquidity to be derived from our long-term customer arrangements and structured cash flows under our SPAs and IPM agreements. As described in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties, these contracts with creditworthy counterparties form the foundation of our business and provide us with significant, stable, long-term cash flows. Under our long-term SPAs and IPM agreements, as of December 31, 2025, we have contracted approximately 90% of the total anticipated production from the Liquefaction Projects through the mid-2030s, excluding volumes from contracts with terms less than 10 years and volumes from SPAs that are conditional on additional liquefaction capacity beyond what is currently in construction or operation, subject to unilateral waiver by us.
LNG Revenues from Executed SPAs
We are contractually entitled to significant future consideration contracted under our long-term SPAs that has not yet been recognized as revenue. The timing of revenue recognition under GAAP may not align with cash receipts, although we do not consider the timing difference to be significant to our future liquidity. In addition, a significant portion of this future consideration is subject to variability as discussed more specifically below. We have estimated revenues under agreements with
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terms dependent on project milestone dates based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2025. The following table summarizes our estimate of revenues to be received from executed long-term SPAs as of December 31, 2025 (in billions):
| Estimated Revenues Under Executed SPAs by Period (1) (2) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2027 - 2030 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| LNG revenues (fixed fees) | $ | 6.6 | $ | 29.4 | $ | 71.7 | $ | 107.7 | |||||||
| LNG revenues (variable fees) (3) | 9.8 | 43.9 | 129.2 | 182.9 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 16.4 | $ | 73.3 | $ | 200.9 | $ | 290.6 |
(1)LNG revenues exclude estimated revenues from contracts with unsatisfied contractual conditions precedent. We may enter into contracts to sell LNG that are conditioned upon one or both of the parties achieving certain milestones, such as reaching FID on a certain liquefaction Train.
(2)LNG revenues exclude revenues from contracts with original expected durations of one year or less.
(3)LNG revenues (variable fees) reflect the assumption of delivery of all contractual volumes, irrespective of any contractual right of non-delivery. LNG revenues (variable fees) are based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2025.
As described in General, under our SPAs, customers purchase LNG on either an FOB basis or a DAP basis generally for a price consisting of a fixed fee per MMBtu of LNG (a portion of which is subject to annual adjustment for inflation) plus a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub. The variable fees under our SPAs were generally sized with the intention to cover the supply and transportation of natural gas and the liquefaction fuel consumed to produce the LNG to be sold under each such SPA, thus limiting our exposure to future U.S. natural gas price increases. Certain customers may elect to cancel or suspend deliveries of LNG cargoes, with advance notice as governed by each respective SPA, in which case the customers would still be required to pay the fixed fee with respect to the contracted volumes that are not delivered as a result of such cancellation or suspension.
LNG produced by the Liquefaction Projects that is not contracted under long-term contracts is available for Cheniere Marketing, our integrated marketing function, to sell in the global market under spot sales or other short-term agreements. The LNG produced and available for Cheniere Marketing to sell includes volumes related to commissioning, which are not recognized as revenues. We recognize proceeds from commissioning activities prior to the start of commercial operations as offsets to LNG terminal costs, as a component of the testing phase of a Train’s construction. The volumes sold by Cheniere Marketing may be supplemented by volumes procured from third parties at other locations worldwide to support operational requirements or take advantage of market opportunities.
Liquidity from Executed IPM Agreements
The table in the LNG Revenues from Executed SPAs section above excludes fees expected to be generated through sales of LNG produced from natural gas procured under our IPM agreements, under which we pay for natural gas feedstock based on global gas market prices less fixed liquefaction fees and certain costs incurred by us. While IPM agreements are not revenue contracts for accounting purposes, the payment structure under the IPM agreements generates a take-or-pay style fixed liquefaction fee. Although the IPM agreements secure natural gas purchases over long-term periods, the LNG produced from that natural gas is generally sold under short-term SPAs. Over a remaining fixed term of 20 years, we expect to generate liquidity from the approximately 5,066 TBtu of LNG to be produced from natural gas not yet received under IPM agreements as of December 31, 2025.
Additional Future Sources of Liquidity
Available Commitments under Credit Facilities
As of December 31, 2025, we had $7.2 billion in available commitments under our credit facilities, as detailed earlier in the table summarizing our available liquidity, subject to compliance with the applicable covenants, to potentially meet liquidity needs. Our credit facilities mature between 2027 and 2030, based on estimated project milestone dates as of December 31, 2025.
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Disciplined Accretive Growth
Our significant land positions at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal provide potential development and investment opportunities for further liquefaction capacity expansion at strategically advantaged locations with proximity to pipeline infrastructure and resources. In June 2025, certain subsidiaries of CQP updated the SPL Expansion Project’s FERC application, originally filed in February 2024, to reflect a two-phased project, inclusive of three liquefaction trains and supporting infrastructure, maintaining an expected total peak production capacity of up to approximately 20 mtpa of LNG, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities. Following our pre-filing in July 2025, in February 2026, we filed an application with the FERC under the NGA for authorization to site, construct and operate the CCL Expansion Project in a phased approach, inclusive of four liquefaction trains and supporting infrastructure, with an expected total peak production capacity of up to 24 mtpa of LNG, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities. The development of these sites or other projects, including infrastructure projects in support of natural gas supply and LNG demand, will require, among other things, acceptable commercial and financing arrangements before we make a positive FID.
Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for operations and capital expenditures pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures related to our core operations under executed contracts as of December 31, 2025 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2027 - 2030 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (2): | |||||||||||||||
| Natural gas supply agreements excluding IPM agreements (3) (4) | $ | 7.3 | $ | 13.3 | $ | 5.0 | $ | 25.6 | |||||||
| Natural gas transportation and storage service agreements (5) | 0.6 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 7.2 | |||||||||||
| Capital expenditures | 1.5 | 0.9 | — | 2.4 | |||||||||||
| Other Purchase Obligations | — | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | |||||||||||
| Leases (6) | 0.9 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 8.8 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 10.3 | $ | 19.7 | $ | 14.6 | $ | 44.6 |
(1)Agreements in force as of December 31, 2025 that have terms dependent on project milestone dates are based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2025.
(2)Purchase obligations consist of agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding that specify fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased. We include contracts for which we have an early termination option if the option is not currently expected to be exercised. We include contracts with unsatisfied contractual conditions if the conditions are currently expected to be met.
(3)Natural gas supply agreements exclude IPM agreements, which are structured to generate a fixed margin when viewed in conjunction with the sale of LNG produced from the natural gas procured under the IPM agreements, as described under Liquidity from Executed IPM Agreements.
(4)Pricing of natural gas supply agreements is based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2025. Natural gas supply agreements are presented net of $0.2 billion in contracted sales of natural gas as of December 31, 2025.
(5)Natural gas transportation and storage services agreements include $1.3 billion in obligations to related parties. See Note 13 — Related Party Transactions for further information about our related parties.
(6)Leases include payments under (1) operating leases, (2) finance leases, (3) short-term leases and (4) vessel time charters that were executed as of December 31, 2025 but will commence in the future. Payments during future renewal option periods that are exercisable at our sole discretion are included only to the extent that the option is believed to be reasonably certain to be exercised. Leases are presented net of future income associated with vessel time charters that were subchartered to third parties, which was immaterial as of December 31, 2025.
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Natural Gas Supply, Transportation and Storage Service Agreements
Excluding IPM agreements and unexercised extension options, we have secured approximately 6,847 TBtu of natural gas feedstock for our Liquefaction Projects through long-term natural gas supply agreements with remaining fixed terms of up to 14 years. As of December 31, 2025, we have secured approximately 70% of the natural gas supply required to support the total forecasted production capacity of the Liquefaction Projects during 2026, excluding the 8% of which has been secured under IPM agreements. Natural gas supply secured decreases as a percentage of forecasted production capacity beyond 2026. As further described in LNG Revenues from Executed SPAs, the pricing structure of our SPAs often incorporates a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub, thus limiting our net exposure to future increases in natural gas prices.
To ensure that we are able to transport natural gas feedstock to the Liquefaction Projects, we have transportation precedent and other agreements to secure firm pipeline transportation capacity from interstate and intrastate pipeline companies. We have also entered into firm storage services agreements with third parties to assist in managing variability in natural gas needs for the Liquefaction Projects.
Capital Expenditures
We enter into lump sum turnkey contracts with third party contractors for the EPC of our Liquefaction Projects. The future capital expenditures included in the table above primarily consist of fixed costs under the lump sum Bechtel EPC contracts for both the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project, in which Bechtel charges a lump sum and generally bears project cost, schedule and performance risks unless certain specified events occur, in which case Bechtel causes us to enter into a change order, or we agree with Bechtel to a change order. As of December 31, 2025, substantial completions of the first four of seven midscale Trains of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project were achieved. Additionally, in June 2025, our Board made a positive FID with respect to the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project and issued a full notice to proceed with construction to Bechtel under an EPC contract for a contract price of approximately $2.9 billion, subject to adjustment only by change order. Refer to Corpus Christi LNG Terminal in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties — Our Business for a summary of the construction status and estimated completion of both the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project as of December 31, 2025. In addition to amounts presented in the table above, we expect to incur ongoing capital expenditures to maintain our facilities and other assets, as well as to optimize our existing assets and purchase new assets that are intended to grow our productive capacity.
Leases
Our obligations under our lease arrangements primarily consist of LNG vessel time charters with fixed minimum terms of up to 15 years to ensure delivery of cargoes sold on a DAP basis. We have also entered into leases for the use of tug vessels, office space and facilities, land sites and equipment.
Additional Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures
Taxes
Our cash tax payments may fluctuate over time and may be influenced by (1) accelerated tax depreciation deductions on qualifying assets, including the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project and (2) timing of utilization of our existing net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards. See the risk Additions or changes in tax laws and regulations or variables impacting our tax obligations could potentially affect our financial results or liquidity under Risks Relating to Regulations in Item 1A. Risk Factors.
As part of our ongoing effort to mitigate our emissions from our shipping transport operations, we primarily utilize the LNG that we produce at our terminals as transport fuel in our shipping vessel operations, serving as a substitute for diesel and heavy fuel oils, which have higher emission factors. Our use of LNG as transport fuel in our operations enabled us to claim federal alternative fuel excise tax credits totaling $370 million for the period spanning from 2018 to 2024, preceding the expiration of the incentive program on December 31, 2024. We accounted for the claims as a gain contingency under ASC 450-30, Contingencies - Gain Contingencies, which does not allow recognition until cash or claims to cash are realized or realizable. We did not recognize the claims as of December 31, 2025 because there were inherent uncertainties associated with the realizability of these claims. Subsequent to December 31, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) issued a closing
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letter to us indicating completion of their review, confirming our eligibility and issuing final cash payment. As such, we will recognize a $370 million reduction to cost of sales during the three months ending March 31, 2026.
Disciplined Accretive Growth
The FID of any expansion projects, including the SPL Expansion Project and CCL Expansion Project, will result in additional cash requirements to fund the construction and operations of such projects in excess of our current contractual obligations under executed contracts discussed above, although expansion may be designed to leverage shared infrastructure to reduce the incremental costs of any potential expansion.
In January 2026, we acquired the remaining redeemable noncontrolling interest in our consolidated subsidiary that owns the Gregory Power Plant, a natural gas-fired combined cycle facility located immediately proximal to the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal. Such acquisition enhances operational control and further mitigates risk exposure associated with increased power demand from the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project, but is expected to require further capital injection for operating liquidity and capital improvements.
Future Cash Requirements for Financing under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for financing pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for financing under executed contracts as of December 31, 2025 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) (2) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2027 - 2030 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Debt | $ | 0.3 | $ | 11.8 | $ | 10.9 | $ | 23.0 | |||||||
| Interest payments | 1.1 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 6.0 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 1.4 | $ | 15.0 | $ | 12.6 | $ | 29.0 |
(1)Debt and interest payments are based on the total debt balance, scheduled contractual maturities and fixed or estimated forward interest rates in effect at December 31, 2025. Debt and interest payments do not contemplate repurchases, repayments and retirements that we may make prior to contractual maturity.
(2)Table excludes payments under finance leases, which are included in Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures under Executed Contracts table above.
Debt
As of December 31, 2025, our debt complex was comprised of senior notes with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $22.4 billion and credit facilities with $550 million outstanding loan balances. As of December 31, 2025, each of our issuers was in compliance with all covenants related to their respective debt agreements. Further discussion of our debt obligations, including the restrictions imposed by these arrangements, can be found in Note 10—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Interest
As of December 31, 2025, our senior notes had a weighted average contractual interest rate of 4.65%. Interest on borrowings under our credit facilities is indexed to SOFR, and we are subject to interest rates on outstanding balances, commitment fees on undrawn balances and letter of credit fees on issued letters of credit. We had $286 million aggregate amount of issued letters of credit under our credit facilities as of December 31, 2025. Further details of our credit facilities can be found in Note 10—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Additional Future Cash Requirements for Financing
CQP Distributions
CQP is required by its partnership agreement to, within 45 days after the end of each quarter, distribute to unitholders all available cash at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. We own a 48.6% limited
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partner interest in CQP in the form of 239.9 million common units, 100% of the general partner interest and 100% of the incentive distribution rights, with the remaining non-controlling limited partner interest held by Blackstone Inc., Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and the public. During the year ended December 31, 2025, $803 million in distributions were paid to our non-controlling interests.
Capital Allocation Plan
In June 2024, our Board approved an updated comprehensive long-term capital allocation plan, which included an increase to our share repurchase authorization by $4.0 billion through 2027. As of December 31, 2025, we had up to $1.2 billion available under the share repurchase program. In February 2026, our Board approved an increase in our share repurchase authorization to approximately $10 billion from 2026 through 2030 with a $9 billion increase to the existing authorization. The timing and amount of any shares of our common stock that are repurchased under the share repurchase program will be determined by management based on market conditions and other factors, with the majority of the repurchases executed within trading parameters pre-established for each applicable trading period in compliance with SEC Rule 10b5-1 and some repurchases executed on the open market. During the year ended December 31, 2025, we repurchased approximately 12.1 million shares of our common stock for $2.7 billion at a weighted average price per share of $221.55. A discussion of our share repurchase program can be found in Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholders Matters and Issuer Purchase of Equity Securities.
Another aspect of our capital allocation plan is to lower our long-term leverage target through debt paydown to approximately 4x, which may involve the repayment, redemption or repurchase, on the open market or otherwise, of our indebtedness, including senior notes of SPL, CQP, CCH and Cheniere. The timing and amount of any paydown of our indebtedness will be determined by management based on market conditions and other factors. During the year ended December 31, 2025, we used $0.7 billion of available cash to reduce our outstanding indebtedness, all of which was pursuant to our capital allocation plan.
In June 2025, we announced updates to our company outlook, which included a plan to increase our annualized dividend by over 10% to $2.22 per common share, which commenced with the dividend pertaining to the third quarter of 2025. On January 27, 2026, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share of common stock that is payable on February 27, 2026 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 6, 2026.
Financially Disciplined Growth
To the extent that liquefaction capacity at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal is expanded beyond the Liquefaction Projects, such as the SPL Expansion Project and the CCL Expansion Project, we expect that additional financing would be used to fund construction of the expansion.
Sources and Uses of Cash
The following table summarizes the sources and uses of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents (in millions). The table presents capital expenditures on a cash basis; therefore, these amounts differ from the amounts of capital expenditures, including accruals, which are referred to elsewhere in this report. Additional discussion of these items follows the table.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 5,539 | $ | 5,394 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (3,012) | (2,279) | ||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (4,130) | (4,451) | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents | (3) | 1 | ||||
| Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents | $ | (1,606) | $ | (1,335) |
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Operating Cash Flows
The $145 million increase between the periods was primarily related to higher net cash inflows from LNG sales, as explained above in Results of Operations, and increased cash inflows from settlement of derivative instruments. Partially offsetting the increase was lower cash flows attributed to working capital from differences in timing of cash collections from the sale of LNG cargoes and payments to suppliers.
As described in Results of Operations, the OBBBA was signed into law during the third quarter of 2025 and includes, among other provisions, reinstating 100% accelerated tax bonus depreciation on qualifying assets acquired after January 19, 2025, which deferred our cash tax obligations, ultimately reducing our income tax payable to a nominal amount in 2025, and modifying the export-promoting FDII deduction rules, renamed to the FDDEI under the OBBBA, which is expected to reduce our income taxes payable relative to prior policy in future periods. Additionally, on September 30, 2025, the IRS issued Notice 2025-49, which revised rules for calculating CAMT adjusted financial statement income, deferring our cash tax obligations and entitling us to a refund of $380 million of previously paid CAMT, which we received in December 2025.
Investing Cash Flows
Our investing net cash outflows primarily related to: (1) construction costs for the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, which were $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively; (2) $1.0 billion of costs paid for the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project during the year ended December 31, 2025, primarily related to procurement and engineering; and (3) optimization and other site improvement projects during both periods. The $0.2 billion decrease in construction costs for the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project between the periods was primarily related to a decline in expenditures in the current year related to the EPC contract as the project approaches completion. We expect to continue to incur capital expenditures for the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project as construction progresses on these projects.
Financing Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our financing activities (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Proceeds from issuances of debt and borrowings | $ | 1,987 | $ | 2,725 | |||
| Redemptions and repayments of debt | (2,092) | (3,521) | |||||
| Distributions to NCI | (803) | (846) | |||||
| Contributions from redeemable NCI | 122 | 6 | |||||
| Payments related to tax withholdings for share-based compensation | (51) | (46) | |||||
| Repurchase of common stock, inclusive of excise taxes paid | (2,724) | (2,262) | |||||
| Dividends to stockholders | (451) | (412) | |||||
| Other, net | (118) | (95) | |||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (4,130) | $ | (4,451) |
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Proceeds from Issuances of Debt and Borrowings
The following table shows the proceeds from issuances of debt and borrowings, including intra-year activity (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Cheniere: | |||||||
| 5.650% Senior Notes due 2034 | $ | — | $ | 1,497 | |||
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | 175 | — | |||||
| CQP: | |||||||
| 5.750% Senior Notes due 2034 | — | 1,198 | |||||
| 2035 CQP Senior Notes | 997 | — | |||||
| SPL: | |||||||
| SPL Revolving Credit Facility | 265 | 30 | |||||
| CCH: | |||||||
| CCH Credit Facility | 550 | — | |||||
| Total proceeds from issuances of debt and borrowings | $ | 1,987 | $ | 2,725 |
Debt Redemptions and Repayments
The following table shows the redemptions and repayments of debt, including intra-year activity (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Cheniere: | |||||||
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | $ | (175) | $ | — | |||
| SPL: | |||||||
| 5.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 | — | (300) | |||||
| 2025 SPL Senior Notes | (300) | (1,700) | |||||
| 2026 SPL Senior Notes | (1,300) | — | |||||
| 4.746% weighted average rate Senior Notes due 2037 | (52) | — | |||||
| SPL Revolving Credit Facility | (265) | (30) | |||||
| CCH: | |||||||
| 5.875% Senior Notes due 2025 | — | (1,491) | |||||
| Total redemptions and repayments of debt | $ | (2,092) | $ | (3,521) |
Repurchase of Common Stock
During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, we paid $2.7 billion and $2.3 billion to repurchase approximately 12.1 million and 13.8 million shares of our common stock, respectively, under our share repurchase program. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2025, we paid $33 million of excise taxes related to our repurchase of common stock during the fiscal years 2023 and 2024, since the IRS imposes an excise tax of 1% on the fair market value of our stock repurchases less our stock issuances. In April 2026, we expect to pay $26 million of excise taxes related to our repurchases during the fiscal year 2025. As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately $1.2 billion remaining under our share repurchase program. In February 2026, our Board approved an increase in our share repurchase authorization to approximately $10 billion from 2026 through 2030 with a $9 billion increase to the existing authorization.
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Cash Dividends to Stockholders
During the year ended December 31, 2025, we paid aggregate dividends of $2.055 per share of common stock for a total of $451 million and during the year ended December 31, 2024, we paid aggregate dividends of $1.805 per share of common stock for a total of $412 million.
On January 27, 2026, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.555 per share of common stock that is payable on February 27, 2026 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 6, 2026.
Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. Management evaluates its estimates and related assumptions regularly, including those related to the valuation of derivative instruments. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised estimates, and actual results may differ from these estimates. Management considers the following to be its most critical accounting estimates that involve significant judgment.
Fair Value of Level 3 Liquefaction Supply Derivatives
Our derivative instruments are recorded at fair value unless they satisfy criteria for, and we elect, the normal purchases and normal sales exception, as described in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. We record changes in the fair value of our derivative positions through earnings, based on the value for which the derivative instrument could be exchanged between willing parties. Valuation of our liquefaction supply derivative contracts is often developed through the use of internal models which includes significant unobservable inputs representing Level 3 fair value measurements as further described in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. In instances where observable data is unavailable, consideration is given to the assumptions that market participants may use in valuing the asset or liability. To the extent valued using an option pricing model, we consider the future prices of energy units for unobservable periods to be a significant unobservable input to estimated net fair value. In estimating the future prices of energy units, we make judgments about market risk related to liquidity of commodity indices and volatility utilizing available market data. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised estimates and judgments, and actual results may differ from these estimates and judgments. We derive our volatility assumptions based on observed historical settled global LNG market pricing or accepted proxies for global LNG market pricing as well as settled domestic natural gas pricing. Such volatility assumptions also contemplate, as of the balance sheet date, observable forward curve data of such indices, as well as evolving available industry data and independent studies. In developing our volatility assumptions, we acknowledge that the global LNG industry is inherently influenced by events such as unplanned supply constraints, geopolitical incidents, unusual climate events including drought and uncommonly mild, by historical standards, winters and summers, and real or threatened disruptive operational impacts to global energy infrastructure. Our current estimate of volatility does not exclude the impact of otherwise rare events unless we believe market participants would exclude such events on account of their assertion that those events were specific to our company and deemed within our control.
Our fair value estimates incorporate market participant-based assumptions pertaining to applicable contractual uncertainties, including those related to the availability of market information for delivery points, as well as the timing of both satisfaction of contractual events or states of affairs and delivery commencement. We may recognize changes in fair value through earnings that could be significant to our results of operations if and when such uncertainties are resolved.
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Additionally, the valuation of certain liquefaction supply derivatives requires significant judgment in estimating underlying forward commodity curves due to periods of unobservability or limited liquidity. Such valuations are more susceptible to variability particularly when markets are volatile. Provided below are the changes in fair value from valuation of liquefaction supply derivatives valued through the use of internal models which incorporate significant unobservable inputs for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 (in millions). The changes in fair value shown are limited to instruments still held at the end of each respective period.
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Favorable changes in fair value of liquefaction supply derivatives still held at the end of the period | $ | 2,887 | $ | 738 |
The changes in fair value on instruments held at the end of both years are primarily attributed to a significant variance in the estimated and observable forward international LNG commodity prices on our IPM agreements in effect during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.
The estimated fair value of level 3 liquefaction supply derivatives recognized in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 amounted to an asset of $2.9 billion and a liability of $801 million, respectively.
The ultimate fair value of our derivative instruments is uncertain, and we believe that it is reasonably possible that a material change in the estimated fair value could occur in the near future, particularly as it relates to commodity prices impacting the valuation of our liquefaction supply derivatives, given the level of volatility to which such prices are subjected. See Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk for further analysis of the sensitivity of the fair value of our derivatives to hypothetical changes in underlying prices.
Recent Accounting Standards
For a summary of recently issued accounting standards, see Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000003570-25-000033.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Introduction
The following discussion and analysis presents management’s view of our business, financial condition and overall performance and should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. This information is intended to provide investors with an understanding of our past performance, current financial condition and outlook for the future. Discussion of items for the year ended December 31, 2022 and variance drivers between the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to December 31, 2022 are not included herein and can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
Our discussion and analysis includes the following subjects:
•Overview
•Overview of Significant Events
•Market Environment
•Results of Operations
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
•Recent Accounting Standards
Overview
We are an energy infrastructure company primarily engaged in LNG-related businesses. We provide clean, secure and affordable LNG to integrated energy companies, utilities and energy trading companies around the world. We operate two natural gas liquefaction and export facilities at Sabine Pass, Louisiana and near Corpus Christi, Texas. For further discussion of our business, see Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties.
Our long-term counterparty arrangements form the foundation of our business and provide us with significant, stable, long-term cash flows. Through our SPAs and IPM agreements currently in effect, with approximately 15 years of weighted average remaining life as of December 31, 2024, we have contracted approximately 95% of the total anticipated production from the Liquefaction Projects through the mid-2030s, excluding volumes from contracts with terms less than 10 years and volumes that are contractually subject to additional liquefaction capacity beyond what is currently in construction or operation. The majority of our contracts are fixed-priced, long-term SPAs consisting of a fixed fee per MMBtu of LNG plus a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG, with the variable fees generally structured to cover the cost of natural gas purchases, transportation and liquefaction fuel consumed to produce LNG. Since we procure most of our feedstock for LNG production from the U.S., the structure of these contracts helps limit our exposure to fluctuations in U.S. natural gas prices. During 2024, we continued to grow our portfolio of SPA and IPM agreements, and we believe that continued global demand for natural gas and LNG, as further described in Market Factors and Competition in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties, will provide a foundation for additional growth in our business in the future. The continued strength and stability of our long-term cash flows served as the foundation of our updated comprehensive, long-term capital allocation plan announced in June 2024, which includes an increased share repurchase authorization and increased dividends, in addition to a continued decrease in consolidated long-term leverage and investment in accretive organic growth.
Overview of Significant Events
Our significant events since January 1, 2024 and through the filing date of this Form 10-K include the following:
Strategic
•In July 2024, Cheniere Marketing entered into a long-term SPA with Galp Trading S.A. (“Galp”), a subsidiary of Galp Energia, SGPS, S.A., under which Galp has agreed to purchase approximately 0.5 mtpa of LNG from Cheniere
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Marketing on a free-on-board basis for a term of 20 years. Deliveries are expected to commence in the early 2030s and are subject to, among other things, a positive FID with respect to the second train of the SPL Expansion Project (“SPL Train 8”) and includes a limited number of early cargoes to be purchased by Galp prior to the start of SPL Train 8.
•In June 2024, we received a positive Environmental Assessment from the FERC relating to the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project. We expect to receive all remaining necessary regulatory approvals for the project in 2025.
•In February 2024, certain subsidiaries of CQP submitted an application to the FERC under the NGA for authorization to site, construct and operate the SPL Expansion Project, as well as an application to the DOE requesting authorization to export LNG to FTA countries and non-FTA countries, both of which applications exclude debottlenecking. In October 2024, the authorization from the DOE to export LNG to FTA countries was received for the SPL Expansion Project.
Operational
•As of February 14, 2025, approximately 3,930 cumulative LNG cargoes totaling approximately 270 million tonnes of LNG have been produced, loaded and exported from the Liquefaction Projects.
•In December 2024, we achieved first LNG production from Train 1 of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and in February 2025, the first cargo of LNG was produced from the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project.
Financial
•In June 2024, we announced updates to our ‘20/20 Vision’ comprehensive long-term capital allocation plan, which included an increase to our share repurchase authorization by $4.0 billion through 2027 and a plan to increase our quarterly dividend by approximately 15% to $2.00 per common share on an annualized basis, which commenced with the dividend pertaining to the third quarter of 2024.
•In May 2024, CQP issued $1.2 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.750% Senior Notes due 2034 (the “2034 CQP Senior Notes”). In June 2024, the net proceeds, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem $1.2 billion of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of SPL’s 5.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2025 (the “2025 SPL Senior Notes”).
•In May 2024, in connection with the 2034 CQP Senior Notes issuance, Moody’s Ratings (“Moody’s”) upgraded CQP’s issuer credit rating to Baa2 from Ba1 and revised CQP’s outlook to stable from positive. Moody’s also upgraded SPL’s issuer credit rating to Baa1 from Baa2 and revised SPL’s outlook to stable from positive. In July 2024, Fitch Ratings upgraded CCH’s issuer credit rating to BBB+ from BBB with a stable outlook. In October 2024, S&P Global Ratings changed the outlook of CCH’s senior secured debt rating to positive from stable.
•In March 2024, we issued $1.5 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.650% Senior Notes due 2034 (the “2034 Cheniere Senior Notes”). In April 2024, the net proceeds, together with cash on hand, were used to retire the approximately $1.5 billion outstanding aggregate principal amount of CCH’s 5.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2025 (the “2025 CCH Senior Notes”).
•During the year ended December 31, 2024, we accomplished the following pursuant to our capital allocation priorities:
◦We repurchased approximately 13.8 million shares of our common stock as part of our share repurchase program for approximately $2.3 billion.
◦Excluding amounts refinanced, SPL redeemed $800 million of outstanding aggregate principal amount of its senior secured notes.
◦We paid dividends of $1.805 per share of common stock during the year ended December 31, 2024.
◦We continued to invest in accretive organic growth, including our investment in the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, as further described under Investing Cash Flows in Sources and Uses of Cash within Liquidity and Capital Resources.
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Market Environment
The LNG market in 2024 remained relatively tight as a result of low supply capacity growth, strong demand outside Europe and continued geopolitical tensions. Global LNG imports registered a very modest growth in 2024, increasing by less than 4 mtpa year on year due to constrained supply from delays to projects under construction, Russian sanctions and a fallow period for new projects coming on-line. Consequently, a recovery in Asia’s LNG consumption had to be satisfied at the expense of other regions. Asian demand increased significantly from 2023, adding over 20 mtpa of import year-over-year. The largest single country contribution to this growth came from China, which increased 6.8 mtpa year-over-year after a slowdown during the previous two years. Growth outside of Asia tightened the balances further this year by increasing the call on supply away from Europe. Egypt and Brazil propelled imports from the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America regions by 6.2 mtpa to a total of 25.5 mtpa in 2024. In contrast, Europe’s imports declined 19% year-over-year, down approximately 22.7 mtpa, due to weak gas-fired power generation demand and sluggish growth in the industrial sector.
These market conditions contributed to a strong spot price environment albeit annual spot prices in 2024 were overall lower than in the previous year. The TTF monthly settlement prices averaged $10.91/MMBtu in 2024, 20.5% lower than the 2023 average of $13.73/MMBtu. Similarly, the average settlement price for the Japan Korea Marker (“JKM”) was $11.83/MMBtu in 2024, 26.6% lower than the 2023 average of $16.13/MMBtu. The Henry Hub benchmark also dropped from an average settlement price of $2.74/MMBtu in 2023 to $2.27/MMBtu in 2024, down 17.1% year-over-year.
However, a drop in temperatures in Europe toward the end of 2024 and into the beginning of 2025 has resulted in faster drawdowns from underground storage and a rebound in spot prices relative to the third quarter. This, along with the expiry of the gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine on December 31, 2024, is likely to increase the call on LNG imports in the coming months in order to replenish European gas storage facilities to 90% capacity by November 1, as required by the EU each year.
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Results of Operations
Consolidated results of operations
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except per share data) | 2024 | 2023 | Variance | |||||||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||||||||||
| LNG revenues | $ | 14,899 | $ | 19,569 | $ | (4,670) | ||||||||||
| Regasification revenues | 135 | 135 | — | |||||||||||||
| Other revenues | 669 | 690 | (21) | |||||||||||||
| Total revenues | 15,703 | 20,394 | (4,691) | |||||||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses | ||||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales (excluding items shown separately below) | 6,021 | 1,356 | 4,665 | |||||||||||||
| Operating and maintenance expense | 1,857 | 1,835 | 22 | |||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expense | 441 | 474 | (33) | |||||||||||||
| Depreciation, amortization and accretion expense | 1,220 | 1,196 | 24 | |||||||||||||
| Other operating costs and expenses | 36 | 44 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| Total operating costs and expenses | 9,575 | 4,905 | 4,670 | |||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 6,128 | 15,489 | (9,361) | |||||||||||||
| Other income (expense) | ||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net of capitalized interest | (1,010) | (1,141) | 131 | |||||||||||||
| Gain (loss) on modification or extinguishment of debt | (9) | 15 | (24) | |||||||||||||
| Interest and dividend income | 189 | 211 | (22) | |||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 5 | 4 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Total other expense | (825) | (911) | 86 | |||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes and non-controlling interests | 5,303 | 14,578 | (9,275) | |||||||||||||
| Less: income tax provision | 811 | 2,519 | (1,708) | |||||||||||||
| Net income | 4,492 | 12,059 | (7,567) | |||||||||||||
| Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interests | 1,240 | 2,178 | (938) | |||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to Cheniere | $ | 3,252 | $ | 9,881 | $ | (6,629) | ||||||||||
| Net income per share attributable to Cheniere—basic | $ | 14.24 | $ | 40.99 | $ | (26.75) | ||||||||||
| Net income per share attributable to Cheniere—diluted | $ | 14.20 | $ | 40.72 | $ | (26.52) |
Volumes loaded and recognized from the Liquefaction Projects
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in TBtu) | 2024 | 2023 | Variance | |||||||||||
| Volumes loaded during the current period | 2,327 | 2,299 | 28 | |||||||||||
| Volumes loaded during the prior period but recognized during the current period | 37 | 56 | (19) | |||||||||||
| Less: volumes loaded during the current period and in transit at the end of the period | (39) | (37) | (2) | |||||||||||
| Total volumes recognized in the current period | 2,325 | 2,318 | 7 |
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Components of LNG revenues and corresponding LNG volumes delivered
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | Variance | ||||||||||||||
| LNG revenues (in millions): | ||||||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | $ | 12,144 | $ | 12,820 | $ | (676) | ||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements | 2,345 | 6,028 | (3,683) | |||||||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties | 280 | 359 | (79) | |||||||||||||
| Net derivative gain (loss) | (73) | 110 | (183) | |||||||||||||
| Other revenues | 203 | 252 | (49) | |||||||||||||
| Total LNG revenues | $ | 14,899 | $ | 19,569 | $ | (4,670) | ||||||||||
| Volumes delivered as LNG revenues (in TBtu): | ||||||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | 2,118 | 2,034 | 84 | |||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements | 207 | 284 | (77) | |||||||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties | 24 | 35 | (11) | |||||||||||||
| Total volumes delivered as LNG revenues | 2,349 | 2,353 | (4) |
(1)Long-term agreements include agreements with an initial tenor of 12 months or more.
Net income attributable to Cheniere
Net income attributable to Cheniere declined $6.6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the same period of 2023 and was primarily attributable to $6.7 billion of decreases in gains (before tax and the impact of non-controlling interests) from changes in fair value of derivatives. The majority of the decrease was attributable to our IPM agreements, where the associated gains that are primarily included in cost of sales decreased from $7.0 billion during the year ended December 31, 2023 to $1.5 billion during the year ended December 31, 2024, mainly due to the impact on fair value of the decline and sustained moderation of global LNG and gas price volatility and more subdued changes in the current period relative to the same period of 2023 as global prices and spreads narrowed as a result of market rebalancing. The remaining change in fair value of derivatives was primarily due to an unfavorable shift in long-term U.S. natural gas basis spreads. In addition, there was a $2.8 billion decrease in LNG revenues, net of cost of sales and excluding the effect of derivatives, for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the same period of 2023, the majority of which was attributable to a reduction of volumes sold under short-term agreements as a higher proportion of our LNG was sold under long-term contracts, as further described in Revenues below.
These unfavorable variances were partially offset by:
•$1.7 billion favorable variance in income tax provision between the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the same period of 2023, primarily due to lower taxable earnings as described above; and
•$938 million reduction in net income attributable to non-controlling interests during the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the same period of 2023, substantially all of which is due to a decrease in CQP’s consolidated net income between the comparable periods from declining gains related to changes in fair value of derivatives between the years.
The following is an additional discussion of the significant drivers of the variance in net income attributable to Cheniere by line item:
Revenues
The $4.7 billion decrease in revenues between the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same period of 2023 was primarily attributable to:
•$3.8 billion decrease in revenues generated by our marketing function under short-term agreements between the comparative years due to declining global LNG and gas prices and a reduction of volumes sold under short-term agreements as a result of additional long-term agreements commencing in 2024 as compared to 2023; and
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•$676 million decrease in revenues attributable to declining Henry Hub pricing, to which the majority of our long-term LNG sales contracts are indexed, between the years.
Operating costs and expenses
The $4.7 billion unfavorable variance between the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same period of 2023 was primarily attributable to:
•$6.5 billion of decreases in gains from changes in fair value of derivatives included in cost of sales, with the primary drivers of the variance described above under the caption Net income attributable to Cheniere;
This unfavorable variance was partially offset by:
•$1.7 billion decrease between the periods in cost of sales excluding the effect of derivative changes described above, primarily as a result of a $1.6 billion decrease in cost of natural gas feedstock largely due to the decline and sustained moderation of global LNG and gas prices as well as lower U.S. natural gas prices in the current year compared to the prior year.
Other income (expense)
The $86 million favorable variance between the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the same period of 2023 was primarily attributable to:
•$131 million decrease in interest expense, net of capitalized interest, between the comparable years primarily due to a $92 million increase in interest costs qualifying for capitalization, given the higher carrying value of assets under construction, and additionally due to lower overall interest cost due to debt reduction activities associated with our long-term capital allocation plan;
These favorable variances were partially offset by:
•$24 million increase in losses on modification or extinguishment of debt between the comparable years from debt reduction activities, as further detailed under Financing Cash Flows in Sources and Uses of Cash within Liquidity and Capital Resources; and
•$22 million decrease in interest and dividend income between the comparable years, primarily as a result of lower average cash and cash equivalents balances between the respective periods.
Income tax provision
The $1.7 billion favorable variance between the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was primarily attributable to a $9.3 billion decrease in pre-tax income and, to a lesser extent, a lower effective tax rate between the periods.
Our effective tax rate was 15.3% and 17.3% for years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our effective tax rate decreased between the comparable periods and was lower than the statutory rate of 21.0% because a larger percentage of pre-tax income was attributable to CQP’s income that is not taxable to us.
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests
The $938 million decrease between the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the same period of 2023 was primarily attributable to a $1.7 billion decrease in CQP’s consolidated net income, primarily due to $1.5 billion of decreases in gains from the fair value of its IPM agreements accounted for as derivatives.
Significant factor affecting our results of operations
Below is a significant factor that affects our results of operations.
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Gains and losses on derivative instruments
Derivative instruments, which we use to manage certain risks, are reported at fair value in our Consolidated Financial Statements. For commodity derivative instruments, including those related to our IPM agreements, the underlying LNG sales being economically hedged are accounted for under the accrual method of accounting, whereby revenues expected to be derived from the future LNG sales are recognized only upon delivery or realization of the underlying transaction. Notwithstanding the operational intent to mitigate risk exposure over time, the recognition of derivative instruments at fair value has the effect of recognizing gains or losses relating to future period exposure, and given the significant volumes, long-term duration and volatility in price basis for certain of our derivative contracts, the use of derivative instruments may result in continued volatility of our results of operations based on changes in market pricing, counterparty credit risk and other relevant factors that may be outside of our control. For example, as described in Note 6—Derivative Instruments of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, the fair value of the Liquefaction Supply Derivatives incorporates, as applicable, market participant-based assumptions pertaining to certain contractual uncertainties, including those related to the availability of market information for delivery points, which may require future development of infrastructure, as well as the timing of satisfaction of certain events or development of infrastructure to support natural gas gathering and transport. We may recognize changes in fair value through earnings that could significantly impact our results of operations if and when such uncertainties are resolved.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following information describes our ability to generate and obtain adequate amounts of cash to meet our requirements in the short term and the long term. In the short term, we expect to meet our cash requirements using operating cash flows and available liquidity, consisting of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents and available commitments under our credit facilities. Additionally, we expect to meet our long term cash requirements by using operating cash flows and other future potential sources of liquidity, which may include debt and equity offerings by us or our subsidiaries. The table below provides a summary of our available liquidity (in millions). Future material sources of liquidity are discussed below.
| December 31, 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents (1) | $ | 2,638 |
| Restricted cash and cash equivalents (1) | 552 | |
| Available commitments under our credit facilities (2): | ||
| SPL Revolving Credit Facility | 776 | |
| CQP Revolving Credit Facility | 1,000 | |
| CCH Credit Facility | 3,260 | |
| CCH Working Capital Facility | 1,390 | |
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | 1,250 | |
| Total available commitments under our credit facilities | 7,676 | |
| Total available liquidity | $ | 10,866 |
(1)Amounts presented include balances held by our consolidated variable interest entities (“VIEs”), as discussed in Note 8—Non-controlling Interests and Variable Interest Entities of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. As of December 31, 2024, assets of our VIEs, which are included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, included $270 million of cash and cash equivalents and $125 million of restricted cash and cash equivalents.
(2)Available commitments represent total commitments less loans outstanding and letters of credit issued under each of our credit facilities as of December 31, 2024. See Note 10—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our credit facilities and other debt instruments.
Our liquidity position subsequent to December 31, 2024 will be driven by future sources of liquidity and future cash requirements, as further discussed under the caption Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity.
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Although our sources and uses of cash are presented below from a consolidated standpoint, SPL, CQP, CCH and Cheniere operate with independent capital structures. Certain restrictions or requirements under debt and equity instruments executed by our subsidiaries limit the entity’s use of cash, including the following:
•SPL and CCH are required to deposit all cash received into restricted cash and cash equivalents accounts under certain of their debt agreements. The usage or withdrawal of such cash is restricted to the payment of liabilities related to the Liquefaction Projects and other restricted payments. In addition, SPL and CCH’s operating costs are managed by our subsidiaries under affiliate agreements, which may require SPL and CCH to advance cash to the respective affiliates, however the cash remains restricted for operation and construction of the Liquefaction Projects;
•CQP is required under its partnership agreement to distribute to unitholders all available cash on hand at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. Beginning with the distribution paid in the second quarter of 2022, quarterly distributions by CQP are currently comprised of a base amount plus a variable amount equal to the remaining available cash per unit, which takes into consideration, among other things, amounts reserved for annual debt repayment and capital allocation goals, anticipated capital expenditures to be funded with cash, and cash reserves to provide for the proper conduct of CQP’s business;
•Our 48.6% limited partner interest, 100% general partner interest and incentive distribution rights in CQP limit our right to receive cash held by CQP to the amounts specified by the provisions of CQP’s partnership agreement; and
•SPL and CCH are restricted by affirmative and negative covenants included in certain of their debt agreements in their ability to make certain payments, including distributions, unless specific requirements are satisfied.
Despite the restrictions noted above, we believe that sufficient flexibility exists within the Cheniere complex to enable each independent capital structure to meet its currently anticipated cash requirements. The sources of liquidity at SPL, CQP and CCH primarily fund the cash requirements of the respective entity, and any remaining liquidity not subject to restriction, as supplemented by liquidity provided by Cheniere Marketing, is available to enable Cheniere to meet its cash requirements.
Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity
The following discussion of our future sources and uses of liquidity includes estimates that reflect management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2024. Estimates are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially as a result of a variety of factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K.
Future Sources of Liquidity under Executed Contracts
We expect future material sources of liquidity to be derived from our long-term customer arrangements and structured cash flows under our SPAs and IPM agreements. As described in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties, these contracts with creditworthy counterparties form the foundation of our business and provide us with significant, stable, long-term cash flows. Under our long-term SPAs and IPM agreements, we have contracted substantially all of our total anticipated production through the mid-2030s from our liquefaction capacity that is currently under construction or in operation.
LNG Revenues from Executed SPAs
We are contractually entitled to significant future consideration contracted under our long-term SPAs that has not yet been recognized as revenue. The timing of revenue recognition under GAAP may not align with cash receipts, although we do not consider the timing difference to be significant to our future liquidity. In addition, a significant portion of this future consideration is subject to variability as discussed more specifically below. We have estimated revenues under agreements with
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terms dependent on project milestone dates based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2024. The following table summarizes our estimate of revenues to be received from executed long-term SPAs as of December 31, 2024 (in billions):
| Estimated Revenues Under Executed SPAs by Period (1) (2) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2026 - 2029 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| LNG revenues (fixed fees) | $ | 6.3 | $ | 27.9 | $ | 70.5 | $ | 104.7 | |||||||
| LNG revenues (variable fees) (3) | 9.2 | 42.0 | 124.2 | 175.4 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 15.5 | $ | 69.9 | $ | 194.7 | $ | 280.1 |
(1)LNG revenues exclude estimated revenues from contracts with unsatisfied contractual conditions precedent. We may enter into contracts to sell LNG that are conditioned upon one or both of the parties achieving certain milestones, such as reaching FID on a certain liquefaction Train.
(2)LNG revenues exclude revenues from contracts with original expected durations of one year or less. LNG revenues also exclude volumes produced from the commissioning of certain Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project Trains, as volumes related to commissioning are not recognized as revenues. We recognize proceeds from commissioning activities prior to the start of commercial operations as offsets to LNG terminal costs as a component of the testing phase of a Train’s construction.
(3)LNG revenues (variable fees) reflect the assumption of delivery of all contractual volumes, irrespective of any contractual right of non-delivery. LNG revenues (variable fees) are based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2024.
Under our SPAs, customers purchase LNG on either an FOB basis (delivered to the customer at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal or the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal, as applicable) or a DAT basis (delivered to the customer at their specified LNG receiving terminal) generally for a price consisting of a fixed fee per MMBtu of LNG (a portion of which is subject to annual adjustment for inflation) plus a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub. The variable fees under our SPAs were generally sized with the intention to cover the supply and transportation of natural gas and the liquefaction fuel consumed to produce the LNG to be sold under each such SPA, thus limiting our exposure to future U.S. natural gas price increases. Certain customers may elect to cancel or suspend deliveries of LNG cargoes, with advance notice as governed by each respective SPA, in which case the customers would still be required to pay the fixed fee with respect to the contracted volumes that are not delivered as a result of such cancellation or suspension.
LNG produced by the Liquefaction Projects that is not contracted under long-term contracts is available for Cheniere Marketing, our integrated marketing function, to sell in the global market under spot sales or other short-term agreements. This LNG includes LNG produced from (1) the Liquefaction Projects prior to the date of first commercial delivery under long-term SPAs, (2) LNG production efficiencies and (3) natural gas procured under IPM agreements, as described below. These volumes may be supplemented by volumes procured from other locations worldwide to support operational requirements or take advantage of market opportunities.
Liquidity from Executed IPM Agreements
The table in the LNG Revenues from Executed SPAs section above excludes fees expected to be generated through sales of LNG produced from natural gas procured under our IPM agreements, under which we pay for natural gas feedstock based on global gas market prices less fixed liquefaction fees and certain costs incurred by us. While IPM agreements are not revenue contracts for accounting purposes, the payment structure under the IPM agreements generates a take-or-pay style fixed liquefaction fee. Although the IPM agreements secure natural gas purchases over long-term periods, the LNG produced from that natural gas is generally sold under short-term SPAs. Over a remaining fixed term of 18 years, we expect to generate liquidity from the approximately 3,825 TBtu of LNG to be produced from natural gas not yet received under IPM agreements as of December 31, 2024, excluding approximately 665 TBtu related to an IPM agreement that is subject to unsatisfied contractual conditions precedent.
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Additional Future Sources of Liquidity
Available Commitments under Credit Facilities
As of December 31, 2024, we had $7.7 billion in available commitments under our credit facilities, as detailed earlier in the table summarizing our available liquidity, subject to compliance with the applicable covenants, to potentially meet liquidity needs. Our credit facilities mature between 2026 and 2029, based on estimated project milestone dates as of December 31, 2024.
Disciplined Accretive Growth
Our significant land positions at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal provide potential development and investment opportunities for further liquefaction capacity expansion at strategically advantaged locations with proximity to pipeline infrastructure and resources. In February 2024, certain subsidiaries of CQP submitted an application to the FERC under the NGA for authorization to site, construct and operate the SPL Expansion Project, as well as an application to the DOE requesting authorization to export LNG to FTA countries and non-FTA countries, both of which applications exclude debottlenecking. In October 2024, the authorization from the DOE to export LNG to FTA countries was received. In June 2024, we received a positive Environmental Assessment from the FERC relating to the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project, and we expect to receive all remaining necessary regulatory approvals for the project in 2025. The development of these sites or other projects, including infrastructure projects in support of natural gas supply and LNG demand, will require, among other things, acceptable commercial and financing arrangements before we make a positive FID.
Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for operations and capital expenditures pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures related to our core operations under executed contracts as of December 31, 2024 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2026 - 2029 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (2): | |||||||||||||||
| Natural gas supply agreements excluding IPM agreements (3) (4) | $ | 6.6 | $ | 16.4 | $ | 6.6 | $ | 29.6 | |||||||
| Natural gas transportation and storage service agreements (5) | 0.5 | 2.0 | 4.4 | 6.9 | |||||||||||
| Capital expenditures | 1.6 | 0.6 | — | 2.2 | |||||||||||
| Other Purchase Obligations | — | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | |||||||||||
| Leases (6) | 0.7 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 7.0 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 9.4 | $ | 22.1 | $ | 14.9 | $ | 46.4 |
(1)Agreements in force as of December 31, 2024 that have terms dependent on project milestone dates are based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2024.
(2)Purchase obligations consist of agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding that specify fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased. We include contracts for which we have an early termination option if the option is not currently expected to be exercised. We include contracts with unsatisfied contractual conditions if the conditions are currently expected to be met.
(3)Natural gas supply agreements exclude IPM agreements, which are structured to generate a fixed margin when viewed in conjunction with the sale of LNG produced from the natural gas procured under the IPM agreements, as described under Liquidity from Executed IPM Agreements.
(4)Pricing of natural gas supply agreements is based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2024. Natural gas supply agreements are presented net of $0.3 billion in contracted sales of natural gas as of December 31, 2024.
(5)Natural gas transportation and storage services agreements include $1.2 billion in obligations to related parties.
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(6)Leases include payments under (1) operating leases, (2) finance leases, (3) short-term leases and (4) vessel time charters that were executed as of December 31, 2024 but will commence in the future. Payments during future renewal option periods that are exercisable at our sole discretion are included only to the extent that the option is believed to be reasonably certain to be exercised. Leases are presented net of $1.2 billion in future income associated with vessel time charters that were subchartered to third parties.
Natural Gas Supply, Transportation and Storage Service Agreements
Excluding IPM agreements and unexercised extension options, we have secured approximately 7,980 TBtu of natural gas feedstock for our Liquefaction Projects through long-term natural gas supply agreements with remaining fixed terms of up to 15 years. As of December 31, 2024, we have secured approximately 74% of the natural gas supply required to support the total forecasted production capacity of the Liquefaction Projects during 2025, excluding the 6% of which has been secured under IPM agreements. Natural gas supply secured decreases as a percentage of forecasted production capacity beyond 2025. As further described in the LNG Revenues from Executed SPAs section, the pricing structure of our SPAs often incorporates a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub, which is paid upon delivery, thus limiting our net exposure to future increases in natural gas prices.
To ensure that we are able to transport natural gas feedstock to the Liquefaction Projects, we have transportation precedent and other agreements to secure firm pipeline transportation capacity from interstate and intrastate pipeline companies. We have also entered into firm storage services agreements with third parties to assist in managing variability in natural gas needs for the Liquefaction Projects.
Capital Expenditures
We enter into lump sum turnkey contracts with third party contractors for the EPC of our Liquefaction Projects. The future capital expenditures included in the table above primarily consist of fixed costs under the lump sum Bechtel EPC contract for the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, in which Bechtel charges a lump sum and generally bears project cost, schedule and performance risks unless certain specified events occur, in which case Bechtel causes us to enter into a change order, or we agree with Bechtel to a change order. In addition to amounts presented in the table above, we expect to incur ongoing capital expenditures to maintain our facilities and other assets, as well as to optimize our existing assets and purchase new assets that are intended to grow our productive capacity.
Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project
The following table summarizes the project completion and construction status of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project as of December 31, 2024:
| Overall project completion percentage | 77.2% | |
|---|---|---|
| Completion percentage of: | ||
| Engineering | 97.2% | |
| Procurement | 97.2% | |
| Subcontract work | 88.2% | |
| Construction | 42.6% | |
| Date of expected substantial completion | 1H 2025 - 2H 2026 |
Leases
Our obligations under our lease arrangements primarily consist of LNG vessel time charters with terms of up to 15 years to ensure delivery of cargoes sold on a DAT basis. We have also entered into leases for the use of tug vessels, office space and facilities, land sites and equipment.
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Additional Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures
Corporate Activities
We are required to maintain corporate and general and administrative functions to serve our business activities. During the year ended December 31, 2024, selling, general and administrative expense was $0.4 billion, a portion of which was related to leases for office space which is included in the table of cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures under executed contracts above.
Taxes
CAMT accelerates our cash tax payments for federal income taxes due to near-term deferral of the realization of our existing NOL carryforwards and may cause volatility in future cash tax payments due to variability in adjusted financial statement income. Additionally, our cash tax payments may be substantially lower in the periods that the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project is placed into service due to anticipated tax depreciation allowances from the project. Thus, the ongoing interplay between the CAMT, the utilization of our existing NOLs and bonus depreciation eligibility of our Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project is expected to cause volatility in our cash tax payments. See the risk Additions or changes in tax laws and regulations could potentially affect our financial results or liquidity under Risks Relating to Regulations in Item 1A. Risk Factors.
As part of our ongoing effort to mitigate our emissions from our shipping transport operations, we primarily utilize the LNG that we produce at our terminals as transport fuel in our shipping vessel operations, serving as a substitute for diesel and heavy fuel oils, which have higher emission factors. Our use of LNG as a cleaner burning fuel in our operations has enabled us to claim domestic alternative fuel excise tax credits which we are actively pursuing for the period spanning from 2018 to 2024. Although we believe we qualify and are entitled to claim such credits, we have not recognized any financial benefit of our credit claims in our results of operations to date. Our claims are currently under review by the IRS, and there is ongoing uncertainty regarding the final determination of our eligibility.
Disciplined Accretive Growth
The FID of any expansion projects will result in additional cash requirements to fund the construction and operations of such projects in excess of our current contractual obligations under executed contracts discussed above, although expansion may be designed to leverage shared infrastructure to reduce the incremental costs of any potential expansion.
Future Cash Requirements for Financing under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for financing pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for financing under executed contracts as of December 31, 2024 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2026 - 2029 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Debt | $ | 0.4 | $ | 10.5 | $ | 12.2 | $ | 23.1 | |||||||
| Interest payments | 1.1 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 6.6 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 1.5 | $ | 14.0 | $ | 14.2 | $ | 29.7 |
(1)Debt and interest payments are based on the total debt balance, scheduled contractual maturities and fixed or estimated forward interest rates in effect at December 31, 2024. Debt and interest payments do not contemplate repurchases, repayments and retirements that we may make prior to contractual maturity.
Debt
As of December 31, 2024, our debt complex was comprised of senior notes with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $23.1 billion and credit facilities with no outstanding loan balances. As of December 31, 2024, each of our issuers was in compliance with all covenants related to their respective debt agreements. Further discussion of our debt obligations, including the restrictions imposed by these arrangements, can be found in Note 10—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Interest
As of December 31, 2024, our senior notes had a weighted average contractual interest rate of 4.69%. Borrowings under our credit facilities are indexed to SOFR. Undrawn commitments under our credit facilities are subject to commitment fees ranging from 0.075% to 0.525%, subject to change based on the applicable entity’s credit rating. Issued letters of credit under our credit facilities are subject to letter of credit fees ranging from 1.0% to 2.20%, subject to change based on the applicable entity’s credit rating. We had $334 million aggregate amount of issued letters of credit under our credit facilities as of December 31, 2024.
Additional Future Cash Requirements for Financing
CQP Distributions
CQP is required by its partnership agreement to, within 45 days after the end of each quarter, distribute to unitholders all available cash at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. We own a 48.6% limited partner interest in CQP in the form of 239.9 million common units, 100% of the general partner interest and 100% of the incentive distribution rights, with the remaining non-controlling limited partner interest held by Blackstone Inc., Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and the public. During the year ended December 31, 2024, $846 million in distributions were paid to our non-controlling interests.
Capital Allocation Plan
In June 2024, our Board approved an updated comprehensive long-term capital allocation plan, which included an increase to our share repurchase authorization by $4.0 billion through 2027. As of December 31, 2024, we had up to $3.9 billion available under the share repurchase program. The timing and amount of any shares of our common stock that are repurchased under the share repurchase program will be determined by management based on market conditions and other factors, with repurchases executed within trading parameters pre-established for each applicable trading period in compliance with SEC Rule 10b5-1. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we repurchased approximately 13.8 million shares of our common stock for $2.3 billion at a weighted average price per share of $163.72. A discussion of our share repurchase program can be found in Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholders Matters and Issuer Purchase of Equity Securities.
Another aspect of our capital allocation plan is to lower our long-term leverage target through debt paydown to approximately 4x, which may involve the repayment, redemption or repurchase, on the open market or otherwise, of our indebtedness, including senior notes of SPL, CQP, CCH and Cheniere. The timing and amount of any paydown of our indebtedness will be determined by management based on market conditions and other factors. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we used $800 million of available cash to reduce our outstanding indebtedness, all of which was pursuant to our capital allocation plan.
The updated capital allocation plan also included a plan to increase our quarterly dividend by approximately 15% to $2.00 per common share on an annualized basis, which commenced with the dividend pertaining to the third quarter of 2024. On January 28, 2025, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share of common stock that is payable on February 21, 2025 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 7, 2025.
Financially Disciplined Growth
To the extent that liquefaction capacity at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal is expanded beyond the Liquefaction Projects, such as the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project and the SPL Expansion Project, we expect that additional financing would be used to fund construction of the expansion.
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Sources and Uses of Cash
The following table summarizes the sources and uses of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents (in millions). The table presents capital expenditures on a cash basis; therefore, these amounts differ from the amounts of capital expenditures, including accruals, which are referred to elsewhere in this report. Additional discussion of these items follows the table.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 5,394 | $ | 8,418 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (2,279) | (2,202) | ||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (4,451) | (4,180) | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents | $ | (1,335) | $ | 2,038 |
Operating Cash Flows
The $3.0 billion decrease between the periods was primarily related to lower cash receipts from the sale of LNG cargoes due to a reduction in both pricing per MMBtu and volumes sold under short-term agreements, although this exposed us less to declining international LNG and gas prices in the current year as a higher proportion of our LNG was sold under long-term agreements. The decrease was partially offset by lower cash outflows for natural gas feedstock, largely due to the decline and sustained moderation of global LNG and gas prices as well as lower U.S. natural gas prices during the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to December 31, 2023.
We became subject to the 15% CAMT in 2024. For the period ended December 31, 2024, our CAMT liability exceeded our regular tax liability by $383 million which created a CAMT credit carryforward with indefinite life. Our CAMT liability exceeded our regular tax liability in 2024 primarily because we used approximately $2.8 billion of our NOL carryover from 2019 to offset our regular taxable income; however, such NOL carryover does not factor into our CAMT computation resulting in a higher CAMT tax base. We may continue to owe CAMT in future periods until the time our existing NOL carryovers are fully exhausted. Additionally, any final regulatory guidance related to the CAMT issued in the future could significantly affect the timing and amount of our CAMT obligations.
During 2024, the IRS issued Notice 2024-66 which extended the due date of our CAMT estimated payments to April 15, 2025. As a result, the majority of our current tax expense incurred for the year ended December 31, 2024 will be paid in 2025.
Additionally, our cash taxes in the near term could potentially be impacted by possible new federal tax legislation being enacted. Several key provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”) are set to expire or change after 2025, raising the prospects for a new tax bill being enacted in 2025. While the current corporate tax rate of 21% established by the TCJA is permanent and not set to expire, President Trump has proposed reducing the rate to 15% for U.S. manufacturers. Any significant changes to the corporate tax rate, Foreign-Derived Intangible Income provisions, immediate expensing rules or other key tax policies in 2025 could affect our financial position and liquidity. While we are unable to predict the timing and scope of any potential tax legislation, we continue to monitor and assess any proposed tax law changes to determine the impact on our business, cash flows and financial results.
Investing Cash Flows
Our investing net cash outflows in both periods primarily were for the construction costs for the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, which were $1.5 billion during both the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, as well as for optimization and other site improvement projects. We expect to incur a proportional level of capital expenditures in the upcoming year as construction work progresses on the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project.
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Financing Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our financing activities (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| Proceeds from issuances of debt | $ | 2,725 | $ | 1,397 | |||
| Redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt | (3,521) | (2,598) | |||||
| Distributions to non-controlling interests | (846) | (1,016) | |||||
| Payments related to tax withholdings for share-based compensation | (46) | (63) | |||||
| Repurchase of common stock | (2,262) | (1,473) | |||||
| Dividends to stockholders | (412) | (393) | |||||
| Other, net | (89) | (34) | |||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (4,451) | $ | (4,180) |
Debt Issuances
The following table shows our debt issuances (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Proceeds from issuances of debt | ||||||
| Cheniere: | ||||||
| 2034 Cheniere Senior Notes | $ | 1,497 | $ | — | ||
| CQP: | ||||||
| 2034 CQP Senior Notes | 1,198 | — | ||||
| 5.950% Senior Notes due 2033 | — | 1,397 | ||||
| SPL: | ||||||
| SPL Revolving Credit Facility | 30 | — | ||||
| Total proceeds from issuances of debt | $ | 2,725 | $ | 1,397 |
Debt Redemptions, Repayments and Repurchases
The following table shows the redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt, including intra-year repayments (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| Redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt | |||||||
| SPL: | |||||||
| 5.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 | $ | (300) | $ | (1,700) | |||
| 5.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2025 | (1,700) | — | |||||
| SPL Revolving Capital Facility | (30) | — | |||||
| CCH: | |||||||
| 7.000% Senior Notes due 2024 | — | (498) | |||||
| 5.875% Senior Notes due 2025 | (1,491) | — | |||||
| 5.125% Senior Notes due 2027 | — | (69) | |||||
| 3.700% Senior Notes due 2029 | — | (237) | |||||
| 2.742% Senior Notes due 2039 | — | (94) | |||||
| Total redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt | $ | (3,521) | $ | (2,598) |
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Repurchase of Common Stock
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we paid $2.3 billion and $1.5 billion to repurchase approximately 13.8 million and 9.5 million shares of our common stock, respectively, under our share repurchase program. As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately $3.9 billion remaining under our share repurchase program.
Cash Dividends to Stockholders
We paid aggregate dividends of $1.805 per share of common stock for a total of $412 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 and $1.62 per share of common stock for a total of $393 million during the year ended December 31, 2023.
On January 28, 2025, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share of common stock that is payable on February 21, 2025 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 7, 2025.
Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. Management evaluates its estimates and related assumptions regularly, including those related to the valuation of derivative instruments. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised estimates, and actual results may differ from these estimates. Management considers the following to be its most critical accounting estimates that involve significant judgment.
Fair Value of Level 3 Liquefaction Supply Derivatives
All of our derivative instruments are recorded at fair value, as described in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. We record changes in the fair value of our derivative positions through earnings, based on the value for which the derivative instrument could be exchanged between willing parties. Valuation of our liquefaction supply derivative contracts is often developed through the use of internal models which includes significant unobservable inputs representing Level 3 fair value measurements as further described in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. In instances where observable data is unavailable, consideration is given to the assumptions that market participants may use in valuing the asset or liability. To the extent valued using an option pricing model, we consider the future prices of energy units for unobservable periods to be a significant unobservable input to estimated net fair value. In estimating the future prices of energy units, we make judgments about market risk related to liquidity of commodity indices and volatility utilizing available market data. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised estimates and judgments, and actual results may differ from these estimates and judgments. We derive our volatility assumptions based on observed historical settled global LNG market pricing or accepted proxies for global LNG market pricing as well as settled domestic natural gas pricing. Such volatility assumptions also contemplate, as of the balance sheet date, observable forward curve data of such indices, as well as evolving available industry data and independent studies. In developing our volatility assumptions, we acknowledge that the global LNG industry is inherently influenced by events such as unplanned supply constraints, geopolitical incidents, unusual climate events including drought and uncommonly mild, by historical standards, winters and summers, and real or threatened disruptive operational impacts to global energy infrastructure. Our current estimate of volatility does not exclude the impact of otherwise rare events unless we believe market participants would exclude such events on account of their assertion that those events were specific to our company and deemed within our control.
As applicable to our natural gas supply contracts, our fair value estimates incorporate market participant-based assumptions pertaining to applicable contractual uncertainties, including those related to the availability of market information for delivery points, as well as the timing of both satisfaction of contractual events or states of affairs and delivery commencement. We may recognize changes in fair value through earnings that could be significant to our results of operations if and when such uncertainties are resolved.
Additionally, the valuation of certain liquefaction supply derivatives requires significant judgment in estimating underlying forward commodity curves due to periods of unobservability or limited liquidity. Such valuations are more susceptible to variability particularly when markets are volatile. Provided below are the changes in fair value from valuation of instruments valued through the use of internal models which incorporate significant unobservable inputs for the years ended
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December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in millions), which entirely consisted of liquefaction supply derivatives. The changes in fair value shown are limited to instruments still held at the end of each respective period.
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| Favorable changes in fair value relating to instruments still held at the end of the period | $ | 738 | $ | 5,700 |
The changes in fair value on instruments held at the end of both years are primarily attributed to a significant variance in the estimated and observable forward international LNG commodity prices on our IPM agreements in effect during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
The estimated fair value of level 3 derivatives recognized in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 amounted to a liability of $801 million and $2.2 billion, respectively.
The ultimate fair value of our derivative instruments is uncertain, and we believe that it is reasonably possible that a material change in the estimated fair value could occur in the near future, particularly as it relates to commodity prices impacting the valuation of our liquefaction supply derivatives, given the level of volatility to which such prices are subjected. See Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk for further analysis of the sensitivity of the fair value of our derivatives to hypothetical changes in underlying prices.
Recent Accounting Standards
For a summary of recently issued accounting standards, see Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000003570-24-000040.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Introduction
The following discussion and analysis presents management’s view of our business, financial condition and overall performance and should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. This information is intended to provide investors with an understanding of our past performance, current financial condition and outlook for the future. Discussion of 2021 items and variance drivers between the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to December 31, 2021 are not included herein and can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
Our discussion and analysis includes the following subjects:
•Overview
•Overview of Significant Events
•Market Environment
•Results of Operations
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
•Recent Accounting Standards
Overview
We are an energy infrastructure company primarily engaged in LNG-related businesses. We provide clean, secure and affordable LNG to integrated energy companies, utilities and energy trading companies around the world. We operate two natural gas liquefaction and export facilities at Sabine Pass, Louisiana and near Corpus Christi, Texas. For further discussion of our business, see Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties.
Our long-term customer arrangements form the foundation of our business and provide us with significant, stable, long-term cash flows. Through our SPAs and IPM agreements, we have contracted approximately 95% of the total anticipated production from the Liquefaction Projects through the mid-2030s with approximately 16 years of weighted average remaining life as of December 31, 2023, excluding volumes from contracts with terms less than 10 years and volumes that are contractually subject to additional liquefaction capacity beyond what is currently in construction or operation. The majority of our contracts are fixed-priced, long-term SPAs consisting of a fixed fee per MMBtu of LNG plus a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG, with the variable fees generally structured to cover the cost of natural gas purchases, transportation and liquefaction fuel consumed to produce LNG. Since we procure most of our feedstock for LNG production from the U.S., the structure of these contracts helps limit our exposure to fluctuations in U.S. natural gas prices. During 2023, we continued to grow our portfolio of SPA and IPM agreements, and we believe that continued global demand for natural gas and LNG, as further described in Market Factors and Competition in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties, will provide a foundation for additional growth in our portfolio of customer contracts in the future. The continued strength and stability of our long-term cash flows served as the foundation of our revised comprehensive, long-term capital allocation plan announced in 2022, which includes an increased share repurchase authorization, decreased consolidated long-term leverage target, increased dividends and continued investment in accretive organic growth.
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Overview of Significant Events
Our significant events since January 1, 2023 and through the filing date of this Form 10-K include the following:
Strategic
•In November 2023, we announced that SPL Stage V entered into an IPM agreement with ARC Resources U.S. Corp., a subsidiary of ARC Resources Ltd., to purchase 140,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas at a price based on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (“TTF”), less a fixed regasification fee, fixed LNG shipping costs and a fixed liquefaction fee, for a term of approximately 15 years commencing with commercial operations of the first train of the SPL Expansion Project. This agreement is subject to CQP making a positive FID on the first train of the SPL Expansion Project or CQP unilaterally waiving that requirement.
•Cheniere Marketing entered into long-term SPAs with Foran Energy Group Co. Ltd., BASF, ENN LNG (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Equinor ASA and Korea Southern Power Co. Ltd. with estimated volumes totaling approximately 106 million tonnes of LNG and expected deliveries between 2026 and 2050. Approximately 65 million tonnes is subject to CQP making a positive FID on the first or second trains of the SPL Expansion Project, as applicable, or us unilaterally waiving that requirement. Each of these SPAs permit Cheniere Marketing to assign or novate the agreement to certain affiliates at a later date.
•In May 2023, certain subsidiaries of CQP entered the pre-filing review process with the FERC under the NEPA for the SPL Expansion Project, and in April 2023, one of our subsidiaries executed a contract with Bechtel to provide the front end engineering and design work on the project.
•In April 2023, certain of our subsidiaries filed an application with the DOE with respect to the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project, requesting authorization to export LNG to FTA countries and non-FTA countries. In July 2023, we received authorization from the DOE to export LNG to FTA countries.
•In March 2023, certain of our subsidiaries submitted an application with the FERC under the NGA for the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project.
•On January 2, 2023, Corey Grindal, formerly Executive Vice President, Worldwide Trading, was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company.
Operational
•As of February 16, 2024, approximately 3,280 cumulative LNG cargoes totaling over 225 million tonnes of LNG have been produced, loaded and exported from the Liquefaction Projects.
Financial
•We closed the following debt transactions:
◦In June 2023, CQP issued $1.4 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.950% Senior Notes due 2033 (the “2033 CQP Senior Notes”). Using contributed proceeds from the 2033 CQP Senior Notes together with cash on hand, SPL redeemed $1.4 billion of its 5.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the “2024 SPL Senior Notes”) in July 2023.
◦In June 2023, CQP entered into a $1.0 billion Senior Unsecured Revolving Credit and Guaranty Agreement (the “CQP Revolving Credit Facility”), and SPL entered into a $1.0 billion Senior Secured Revolving Credit and Guaranty Agreement (the “SPL Revolving Credit Facility”). The CQP Revolving Credit Facility and SPL Revolving Credit Facility each refinanced and replaced the respective existing credit facilities to, among other things, (1) extend the maturity date thereunder, (2) reduce the rate of interest and commitment fees applicable thereunder and (3) make certain other changes to the terms and conditions of the prior credit facilities.
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•We received the following upgrades from credit rating agencies, including S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”), Moody’s Investor Service (“Moody’s”) and Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”), each with a stable outlook:
| Date | Entity | Previous Rating | Upgraded Rating | Rating Agency | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2023 | CCH | BBB- | BBB | S&P | |||||
| August 2023 | Cheniere | Ba1 | Baa3 | Moody’s | |||||
| August 2023 | CCH | Baa3 | Baa2 | Moody’s | |||||
| August 2023 | SPL | BBB | BBB+ | Fitch | |||||
| July 2023 | CCH | BBB- | BBB | Fitch | |||||
| February 2023 | SPL | BBB | BBB+ | S&P | |||||
| January 2023 | Cheniere | — | BBB- | Fitch |
•During the year ended December 31, 2023, we accomplished the following pursuant to our capital allocation priorities:
◦We prepaid $1.2 billion of consolidated long-term indebtedness, which excludes prepayments associated with debt refinancing and includes $600 million of debt repurchases in the open market.
◦We repurchased approximately 9.5 million shares of our common stock as part of our share repurchase program for $1.5 billion.
◦We paid dividends of $1.620 per share of common stock during the year ended December 31, 2023.
◦We continued to invest in accretive organic growth, including our investment in the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, as further described under Investing Cash Flows in Sources and Uses of Cash within Liquidity and Capital Resources.
Market Environment
In 2023, the LNG market continued to rebalance with robust LNG flows to Europe maintaining the region’s underground storage inventories at high levels, and weak demand in Japan and Korea largely offsetting a modest rebound in China and other emerging economies in Asia. Price levels started moving towards pre-Russia-Ukraine war levels in the second quarter of 2023 and have for the most part normalized versus pre-war levels, as concerns about physical market tightness dissipated. However, extensive upstream maintenance in Norway and concerns about tight supply capacity amid strike threats in Australia elevated prices during the third quarter of 2023 and brought some volatility back to the market, albeit not at much lower levels than those seen in 2022. These conditions were quickly resolved, and winter prices remained within a more normal level, despite the eruption of military conflict in the Middle East in October.
The TTF monthly settlement prices averaged $13.73/MMBtu in 2023, over 66% lower year-over-year and 4.6% lower than 2021. Similarly, the 2023 average settlement price for the Japan Korea Marker (“JKM”) decreased 53% year-over-year to an average of $16.13/MMBtu in 2023. Prices in the fourth quarter of 2023 also decreased, with TTF averaging $13.66/MMBtu and JKM $14.97/MMBtu - both significantly below levels seen in the previous two years. The Henry Hub benchmark also witnessed a similar year-over-year drop albeit from a much lower base. The Henry Hub average settlement price in 2023 was $2.74, down approximately 59% from $6.64/MMBtu in 2022 during the height of the energy crisis in Europe.
The U.S. played a significant role in balancing the global market in 2023, exporting approximately 86 million tonnes of LNG, a gain of approximately 13% from 2022, due in part to the return of Freeport LNG to operations. Exports from our Liquefaction Projects reached 44 million tonnes in aggregate, representing over 50% of total U.S. exports for the year, according to Kpler data.
Global LNG demand grew by approximately 3% from 2022, adding 10.5 million tonnes to the overall market. Although overall Asian demand has increased from 2022, weakness in Japan, mainly due to improved nuclear availability, along with continued gas demand destruction in Europe, especially in the residential sector, exerted downward pressure on the market and kept LNG and gas prices from increasing. Despite the decrease in Japanese demand, which was down approximately 8% or 6 mtpa year-over-year, Asia’s LNG imports increased roughly 4% year-over-year in 2023 to approximately 263 mtpa. This uptick was largely due to an approximately 8.4 mtpa year-over-year growth in South and Southeast Asia’s demand and a modest rebound in China’s economy, which resulted in approximately 12% or 7.5 mtpa increase in LNG imports into the
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country. In Europe, despite continued declines in gas demand, LNG imports were flat year-over-year as pipeline flows from Russia to the EU remained low at 27 billion cubic meters (“Bcm”), down 36 Bcm or 57% year-over-year.
The market dynamics brought on by the need to displace and replace Russian gas into Europe in 2023 resulted in a notable uptick in long-term LNG contracting and a push for LNG project FIDs. Commercial activity in 2023 continued to build on last year’s momentum with executed long-term SPAs in the U.S. reaching approximately 23 mtpa for the year, of which our SPAs and IPM agreements totaled approximately 6.5 mtpa. This contractual momentum over the past two years led to the positive FID of nearly 40 mtpa of U.S. LNG capacity in 2023, and we anticipate that a portion of these contracts will support our future growth.
Despite the global impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, we do not believe we have significant exposure to adverse direct or indirect impacts of the war, as we do not conduct business in Russia and refrain from business dealings with Russian entities. Additionally, we are not aware of any specific adverse direct or indirect effects of the Russia-Ukraine war or the Israel-Hamas war on our supply chain. Consequently, we believe we are well positioned to help meet the increased demand of our international LNG customers to overcome their supply shortages.
Results of Operations
Consolidated results of operations
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except per share data) | 2023 | 2022 | Variance | |||||||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||||||||||
| LNG revenues | $ | 19,569 | $ | 31,804 | $ | (12,235) | ||||||||||
| Regasification revenues | 135 | 1,068 | (933) | |||||||||||||
| Other revenues | 690 | 556 | 134 | |||||||||||||
| Total revenues | 20,394 | 33,428 | (13,034) | |||||||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses | ||||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales (excluding items shown separately below) | 1,356 | 25,632 | (24,276) | |||||||||||||
| Operating and maintenance expense | 1,835 | 1,681 | 154 | |||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expense | 474 | 416 | 58 | |||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization expense | 1,196 | 1,119 | 77 | |||||||||||||
| Other | 44 | 21 | 23 | |||||||||||||
| Total operating costs and expenses | 4,905 | 28,869 | (23,964) | |||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 15,489 | 4,559 | 10,930 | |||||||||||||
| Other income (expense) | ||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net of capitalized interest | (1,141) | (1,406) | 265 | |||||||||||||
| Gain (loss) on modification or extinguishment of debt | 15 | (66) | 81 | |||||||||||||
| Interest and dividend income | 211 | 57 | 154 | |||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 4 | (50) | 54 | |||||||||||||
| Total other expense | (911) | (1,465) | 554 | |||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes and non-controlling interest | 14,578 | 3,094 | 11,484 | |||||||||||||
| Less: income tax provision | 2,519 | 459 | 2,060 | |||||||||||||
| Net income | 12,059 | 2,635 | 9,424 | |||||||||||||
| Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interest | 2,178 | 1,207 | 971 | |||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to common stockholders | $ | 9,881 | $ | 1,428 | $ | 8,453 | ||||||||||
| Net income per share attributable to common stockholders—basic | $ | 40.99 | $ | 5.69 | $ | 35.30 | ||||||||||
| Net income per share attributable to common stockholders—diluted | $ | 40.72 | $ | 5.64 | $ | 35.08 |
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Volumes loaded and recognized from the Liquefaction Projects
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in TBtu) | 2023 | 2022 | Variance | |||||||||||
| Volumes loaded during the current period | 2,299 | 2,295 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Volumes loaded during the prior period but recognized during the current period | 56 | 49 | 7 | |||||||||||
| Less: volumes loaded during the current period and in transit at the end of the period | (37) | (56) | 19 | |||||||||||
| Total volumes recognized in the current period | 2,318 | 2,288 | 30 |
Components of LNG revenues and corresponding LNG volumes delivered
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | Variance | ||||||||||||||
| LNG revenues (in millions): | ||||||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | $ | 12,820 | $ | 20,702 | $ | (7,882) | ||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements | 6,028 | 10,169 | (4,141) | |||||||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties | 359 | 760 | (401) | |||||||||||||
| Net derivative gains (losses) | 110 | (328) | 438 | |||||||||||||
| Other revenues | 252 | 501 | (249) | |||||||||||||
| Total LNG revenues | $ | 19,569 | $ | 31,804 | $ | (12,235) | ||||||||||
| Volumes delivered as LNG revenues (in TBtu): | ||||||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | 2,034 | 1,926 | 108 | |||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements | 284 | 362 | (78) | |||||||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties | 35 | 29 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Total volumes delivered as LNG revenues | 2,353 | 2,317 | 36 |
(1)Long-term agreements include agreements with an initial tenor of 12 months or more.
Net income attributable to common stockholders
The favorable variance of $8.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the same period of 2022 was primarily attributable to a favorable variance of $14.4 billion (before tax and the impact of non-controlling interest), from changes in fair value and settlement of derivatives between the periods. The majority of the variance related to derivatives was due to non-cash favorable changes in fair value of our IPM agreements as a result of lower volatility in international gas prices and declines in international forward commodity curves, which changed from a loss of $5.0 billion in the year ended December 31, 2022 to a gain of $7.0 billion in the year ended December 31, 2023.
The favorable variance was partially offset by:
•decrease in LNG revenues, net of cost of sales and excluding the effect of derivatives (as further described above), of $2.4 billion, the majority of which was attributable to lower margins on LNG delivered;
•unfavorable variance of $2.1 billion in income tax provision due to higher taxable earnings; and
•unfavorable variance of $971 million in net income attributable to non-controlling interest due to an increase in CQP’s consolidated net income between the comparable periods.
The following is an additional discussion of the significant drivers of the variance in net income attributable to common stockholders by line item:
Revenues
The decrease of $13.0 billion between the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was primarily attributable to:
•$9.1 billion decrease in Henry Hub pricing, to which the majority of our long-term LNG sales contracts are indexed;
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•decrease in revenues generated by our marketing function of $2.5 billion due to declining international prices and a reduction of volumes sold under short-term agreements; and
•decrease in regasification revenues of $933 million due to the accelerated recognition of revenues associated with the termination of one of our TUA agreements in December 2022. See Note 13—Revenues of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the termination agreement.
Operating costs and expenses (recoveries)
The $24.0 billion favorable variance between the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was primarily attributable to:
•$14.0 billion favorable variance from changes in fair value and settlements of derivatives included in cost of sales, from $6.2 billion of loss in the year ended December 31, 2022 to $7.8 billion of gain in the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily related to non-cash favorable changes in fair value of our IPM agreements as described above under the caption Net income attributable to common stockholders; and
•$10.3 billion decrease in cost of sales excluding the effect of derivative changes described above, primarily as a result of $9.6 billion in decreased cost of natural gas feedstock largely due to lower U.S. natural gas prices.
The favorable variance was partially offset by an increase in operating and maintenance expense of $154 million between the comparable periods, which was due to the completion of planned large-scale maintenance activities on two trains at the SPL Project during June 2023, other third party service and maintenance contract costs and natural gas transportation and storage capacity demand charges.
Other income (expense)
The $554 million favorable variance between the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was primarily attributable to:
•$265 million decrease in interest expense, net of capitalized interest, primarily as a result of lower debt balances due to $1.2 billion of repayment of debt in 2023, which excludes prepayments associated with debt refinancing;
•$154 million increase in interest and dividend income as a result of higher interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents from higher interest rates in 2023; and
•$81 million favorable variance in gain (loss) on modification or extinguishment of debt, primarily due to higher losses recognized from the amendment and restatement of CCH’s term loan facility agreement (the “CCH Credit Facility”) and CCH’s working capital facility agreement (the “CCH Working Capital Facility”) during the second quarter of 2022 and the redemption of our 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2045 (the “2045 Cheniere Convertible Senior Notes”) during the first quarter of 2022. Further contributing to the favorable variance during the year ended December 31, 2023 was a reduction in premiums paid for the early redemption or repayment of debt principal, as a result of near-maturity debt being redeemed or repaid or repurchased in the open market resulting in lower make-whole payments, as further detailed under Financing Cash Flows in Sources and Uses of Cash within Liquidity and Capital Resources.
Income tax provision
The $2.1 billion unfavorable variance between the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was primarily attributable to an increase in pre-tax income.
Our effective tax rate was 17.3% and 14.8% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The effective tax rate for both the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was lower than the statutory rate of 21% primarily due to CQP’s income that is not taxable to us.
In December 2021, the OECD released a framework for Pillar Two model rules, which introduced a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% for large multinational groups. We are a large multinational group with substantial operations in the U.S. and U.K. The U.K. enacted legislation implementing Pillar Two on July 18, 2023, effective beginning January 1, 2024. The U.S. has not enacted legislation implementing Pillar Two. We are continuing to evaluate the Pillar Two rules and their potential impact on future periods, but we do not expect the rules to have a material impact on our effective tax rate.
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Net income attributable to non-controlling interest
The $971 million increase between the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was primarily attributable to $1.8 billion increase in CQP’s consolidated net income between the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Significant factors affecting our results of operations
Below are significant factors that affect our results of operations.
Gains and losses on derivative instruments
Derivative instruments, which in addition to managing exposure to commodity-related marketing and price risks, are utilized to manage exposure to changing interest rates and foreign exchange volatility, are reported at fair value on our Consolidated Financial Statements. For commodity derivative instruments related to our IPM agreements, the underlying LNG sales being economically hedged are accounted for under the accrual method of accounting, whereby revenues expected to be derived from the future LNG sales are recognized only upon delivery or realization of the underlying transaction. Notwithstanding the operational intent to mitigate risk exposure over time, the recognition of derivative instruments at fair value has the effect of recognizing gains or losses relating to future period exposure, and given the significant volumes, long-term duration and volatility in price basis for certain of our derivative contracts, the use of derivative instruments may result in continued volatility of our results of operations based on changes in market pricing, counterparty credit risk and other relevant factors that may be outside of our control. For example, as described in Note 7—Derivative Instruments of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, the fair value of our Liquefaction Supply Derivatives and LNG Trading Derivatives incorporates, as applicable to our natural gas supply contracts, market participant-based assumptions pertaining to certain contractual uncertainties, including those related to the availability of market information for delivery points, which may require future development of infrastructure, as well as the timing of both satisfaction of contractual events or states of affairs and delivery commencement. We may recognize changes in fair value through earnings that could be significant to our results of operations if and when such uncertainties are resolved.
Commissioning cargoes
Prior to substantial completion of a Train, amounts received from the sale of commissioning cargoes from that Train are offset against LNG terminal construction-in-process, because these amounts are earned or loaded during the testing phase for the construction of that Train. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we realized offsets to LNG terminal costs of $204 million corresponding to 15 TBtu attributable to the sale of commissioning cargoes from Train 6 of the SPL Project. We did not have any commissioning cargoes during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following information describes our ability to generate and obtain adequate amounts of cash to meet our requirements in the short term and the long term. In the short term, we expect to meet our cash requirements using operating cash flows and available liquidity, consisting of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents and available commitments under our credit facilities. Additionally, we expect to meet our long term cash requirements by using operating cash flows and other future potential sources of liquidity, which may include debt and equity offerings by us or our subsidiaries. The table below provides a summary of our available liquidity (in millions). Future material sources of liquidity are discussed below.
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| December 31, 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents (1) | $ | 4,066 |
| Restricted cash and cash equivalents (1) | 459 | |
| Available commitments under our credit facilities (2): | ||
| SPL Revolving Credit Facility | 720 | |
| CQP Revolving Credit Facility | 1,000 | |
| CCH Credit Facility | 3,260 | |
| CCH Working Capital Facility | 1,345 | |
| Cheniere’s revolving credit agreement (the “Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility”) | 1,250 | |
| Total available commitments under our credit facilities | 7,575 | |
| Total available liquidity | $ | 12,100 |
(1)Amounts presented include balances held by our consolidated variable interest entity, CQP, and its subsidiaries, as discussed in Note 9—Non-controlling Interest and Variable Interest Entity of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. As of December 31, 2023, assets of CQP and its subsidiaries, which are included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, included $575 million of cash and cash equivalents and $56 million of restricted cash and cash equivalents.
(2)Available commitments represent total commitments less loans outstanding and letters of credit issued under each of our credit facilities as of December 31, 2023. See Note 11—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our credit facilities and other debt instruments.
Our liquidity position subsequent to December 31, 2023 will be driven by future sources of liquidity and future cash requirements as further discussed under the caption Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity.
Although our sources and uses of cash are presented below from a consolidated standpoint, SPL, CQP, CCH and Cheniere operate with independent capital structures. Certain restrictions under debt and equity instruments executed by our subsidiaries limit each entity’s ability to distribute cash, including the following:
•SPL and CCH are required to deposit all cash received into restricted cash and cash equivalents accounts under certain of their debt agreements. The usage or withdrawal of such cash is restricted to the payment of liabilities related to the Liquefaction Projects and other restricted payments. In addition, SPL and CCH’s operating costs are managed by our subsidiaries under affiliate agreements, which may require SPL and CCH to advance cash to the respective affiliates, however the cash remains restricted for operation and construction of the Liquefaction Projects;
•CQP is required under its partnership agreement to distribute to unitholders all available cash on hand at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. Beginning with the distribution paid in the second quarter of 2022, quarterly distributions by CQP are currently comprised of a base amount plus a variable amount equal to the remaining available cash per unit, which takes into consideration, among other things, amounts reserved for annual debt repayment and capital allocation goals, anticipated capital expenditures to be funded with cash, and cash reserves to provide for the proper conduct of CQP’s business;
•Our 48.6% limited partner interest, 100% general partner interest and incentive distribution rights in CQP limit our right to receive cash held by CQP to the amounts specified by the provisions of CQP’s partnership agreement; and
•SPL and CCH are restricted by affirmative and negative covenants included in certain of their debt agreements in their ability to make certain payments, including distributions, unless specific requirements are satisfied.
Despite the restrictions noted above, we believe that sufficient flexibility exists within the Cheniere complex to enable each independent capital structure to meet its currently anticipated cash requirements. The sources of liquidity at SPL, CQP and CCH primarily fund the cash requirements of the respective entity, and any remaining liquidity not subject to restriction, as supplemented by unrestricted liquidity provided by Cheniere Marketing, is available to enable Cheniere to meet its cash requirements.
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Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity
The following discussion of our future sources and uses of liquidity includes estimates that reflect management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2023. Estimates are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially as a result of a variety of factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K.
Future Sources of Liquidity under Executed SPAs
As described in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties, our long-term customer arrangements form the foundation of our business and provide us with significant, stable, long-term cash flows. Substantially all of our future revenues are contracted under SPAs and because many of these contracts have long-term durations, we are contractually entitled to significant future consideration under these contracts which has not yet been recognized as revenue. This future consideration is, in most cases, not yet legally due to us and was not reflected on our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023. In addition, a significant portion of this future consideration is subject to variability as discussed more specifically below. We anticipate that this consideration will be available to meet liquidity needs in the future. The following table summarizes our estimate of future material sources of liquidity to be received from executed SPAs as of December 31, 2023 (in billions):
| Estimated Revenues Under Executed SPAs by Period (1) (2) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2025 - 2028 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| LNG revenues (fixed fees) | $ | 6.3 | $ | 27.1 | $ | 77.6 | $ | 111.0 | |||||||
| LNG revenues (variable fees) (3) | 7.0 | 40.8 | 140.5 | 188.3 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 13.3 | $ | 67.9 | $ | 218.1 | $ | 299.3 |
(1)Agreements in force as of December 31, 2023 that have terms dependent on project milestone dates are based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2023. The timing of revenue recognition under GAAP may not align with cash receipts, although we do not consider the timing difference to be material. We may enter into contracts to sell LNG that are conditioned upon one or both of the parties achieving certain milestones such as reaching FID on a certain liquefaction Train, obtaining financing or achieving substantial completion of a Train and any related facilities. These contracts are included in the revenues above when the conditions are considered probable of being met.
(2)LNG revenues exclude revenues from contracts with original expected durations of one year or less. As of December 31, 2023, Cheniere Marketing had short term delivery commitments of approximately 88 TBtu of LNG to be delivered to third party customers in 2024. Fixed fees are fees that are due to us regardless of whether a customer exercises, in certain instances, their contractual right to not take delivery of an LNG cargo under the contract. Variable fees are receivable only in connection with LNG cargoes that are delivered.
(3)LNG revenues (variable fees) reflect the assumption of delivery of all contractual volumes, irrespective of any contractual right of non-delivery. LNG revenues (variable fees) are based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2023. The pricing structure of many of our SPA arrangements with our customers incorporates a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub, which is paid upon delivery, thus limiting our net exposure to future increases in natural gas prices.
Through our SPAs and IPM agreements, we have contracted substantially all of the total anticipated production from the Liquefaction Projects through the mid-2030s. The majority of the contracted capacity is comprised of fixed-price, long-term SPAs that SPL and CCL have executed with third parties to sell LNG from the Liquefaction Projects. In addition, we market and sell LNG produced by the Liquefaction Projects that is not contracted by CCL or SPL through our integrated marketing function, Cheniere Marketing. Cheniere Marketing has a portfolio of long-, medium- and short-term SPAs to deliver commercial LNG cargoes to locations worldwide. These volumes are expected to be primarily sourced by LNG produced by the Liquefaction Projects but supplemented by volumes procured from other locations worldwide, as needed.
Substantially all of our contracted capacity is from contracts with terms exceeding 10 years. Excluding volumes from contracts with terms less than 10 years and volumes that are contractually subject to additional liquefaction capacity beyond what is currently in construction or operation, our SPAs and IPM agreements had approximately 16 years of weighted average remaining life as of December 31, 2023. Under the SPAs, the customers purchase LNG on either an FOB basis (delivered to the customer at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal or the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal, as applicable) or a DAT basis (delivered to the customer at their specified LNG receiving terminal) generally for a price consisting of a fixed fee per MMBtu of LNG (a
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portion of which is subject to annual adjustment for inflation) plus a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub. Certain customers may elect to cancel or suspend deliveries of LNG cargoes, with advance notice as governed by each respective SPA, in which case the customers would still be required to pay the fixed fee with respect to the contracted volumes that are not delivered as a result of such cancellation or suspension. The variable fees under our SPAs were generally sized with the intention to cover the costs of gas purchases, transportation and liquefaction fuel consumed to produce the LNG to be sold under each such SPA. Our long-term SPA customers consist of creditworthy counterparties, with an average credit rating of A-, A3 and A- by S&P, Moody’s and Fitch, respectively. A discussion of revenues under our SPAs can be found in Note 13—Revenues of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Additional Future Sources of Liquidity
Regasification Revenues
SPLNG has a long-term, third party TUA with TotalEnergies, under which TotalEnergies is required to pay fixed fees of approximately $125 million annually, whether or not it uses the regasification capacity it has reserved. SPL has a partial TUA assignment agreement with TotalEnergies, whereby SPL gained access to substantially all of TotalEnergies’ capacity and other services provided under TotalEnergies’ TUA with SPLNG. Notwithstanding any arrangements between TotalEnergies and SPL, payments required to be made by TotalEnergies to SPLNG will continue to be made by TotalEnergies to SPLNG in accordance with its TUA and we continue to recognize the payments received from TotalEnergies as revenue. Costs incurred by SPL to TotalEnergies under this partial TUA assignment agreement are recognized in operating and maintenance expense. Full discussion of the partial TUA assignment and SPLNG’s revenues under the TUA agreements can be found in Note 13—Revenues of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Available Commitments under Credit Facilities
As of December 31, 2023, we had $7.6 billion in available commitments under our credit facilities, as detailed earlier in the table summarizing our available liquidity, subject to compliance with the applicable covenants, to potentially meet liquidity needs. Our credit facilities mature between 2026 and 2029.
Uncontracted Liquefaction Supply
We expect a portion of total production capacity from the Liquefaction Projects that has not yet been contracted under executed agreements as of December 31, 2023 to be available for Cheniere Marketing to market to additional LNG customers. Debottlenecking opportunities and other optimization projects have led to increased run-rate production levels which has increased the production capacity available for Cheniere Marketing to the extent it has not already been contracted to other customers.
Financially Disciplined Growth
Our significant land positions at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal provide potential development and investment opportunities for further liquefaction capacity expansion at strategically advantaged locations with proximity to pipeline infrastructure and resources. In May 2023, certain subsidiaries of CQP entered the pre-filing review process with the FERC under the NEPA for the SPL Expansion Project. In March 2023, certain of our subsidiaries submitted an application with the FERC under the NGA for the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project. The development of these sites or other projects, including infrastructure projects in support of natural gas supply and LNG demand, will require, among other things, acceptable commercial and financing arrangements before we make a positive FID.
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Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for operations and capital expenditures pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures related to our core operations under executed contracts as of December 31, 2023 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2025 - 2028 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (2): | |||||||||||||||
| Natural gas supply agreements (3) | $ | 5.8 | $ | 20.2 | $ | 25.4 | $ | 51.4 | |||||||
| Natural gas transportation and storage service agreements (4) | 0.5 | 2.0 | 4.9 | 7.4 | |||||||||||
| Capital expenditures | 1.2 | 1.7 | — | 2.9 | |||||||||||
| Leases (5) | 0.9 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 7.6 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 8.4 | $ | 26.9 | $ | 34.0 | $ | 69.3 |
(1)Agreements in force as of December 31, 2023 that have terms dependent on project milestone dates are based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2023.
(2)Purchase obligations consist of agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding that specify fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased. We include contracts for which we have an early termination option if the option is not currently expected to be exercised. We include contracts with unsatisfied contractual conditions if the conditions are currently expected to be met.
(3)Pricing of natural gas supply agreements is based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2023. Pricing of IPM agreements is based on global gas market prices less fixed liquefaction fees and certain costs incurred by us. Global gas market prices are based on estimates as of December 31, 2023 to the extent forward prices are not available and assume the highest price in cases of price optionality available under the agreement. Includes $0.8 billion under natural gas supply agreements with unsatisfied contractual conditions.
(4)Includes $1.3 billion of purchase obligations to related parties under the natural gas transportation and storage service agreements, of which $1.0 billion had unsatisfied contractual conditions.
(5)Leases include payments under (1) operating leases, (2) finance leases, (3) short-term leases and (4) vessel time charters that were executed as of December 31, 2023 but will commence in the future. Certain of our leases also contain variable payments, such as inflation, which are not included above unless the contract terms require in-substance fixed payments that are, in effect, unavoidable. Payments during renewal options that are exercisable at our sole discretion are included only to the extent that the option is believed to be reasonably certain to be exercised. We subcharter certain LNG vessels while retaining our existing obligation under the original charter. Future income associated with our subcharters was $510 million, inclusive of, as described in Note 12—Leases of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, $163 million qualifying as subleases.
Natural Gas Supply, Transportation and Storage Service Agreements
We have secured natural gas feedstock for the CCL Project and the SPL Project through long-term natural gas supply agreements, including IPM agreements. Under our IPM agreements, we pay for natural gas feedstock based on global gas market prices less fixed liquefaction fees and certain costs incurred by us. While IPM agreements are not revenue contracts for accounting purposes, the payment structure for the purchase of natural gas under the IPM agreements generates a take-or-pay style fixed liquefaction fee, assuming that LNG produced from the natural gas feedstock is subsequently sold at a price approximating the global gas market price paid for the natural gas feedstock purchase.
As of December 31, 2023, we have secured approximately 82% of the natural gas supply required to support the total forecasted production capacity of the Liquefaction Projects during 2024. Natural gas supply secured decreases as a percentage of forecasted production capacity beyond 2024. Natural gas supply is generally secured on an indexed pricing basis plus a fixed fee, with title transfer occurring upon receipt of the commodity. As further described in the LNG Revenues section above, the pricing structure of our SPA arrangements with our customers often incorporates a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub, which is paid upon delivery, thus limiting our net exposure to future increases in natural gas prices. Inclusive of amounts under contracts with unsatisfied contractual conditions that are currently considered probable of being met and exclusive of extension options that were uncertain to be taken as of December 31, 2023, we have secured up
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to 12,794 TBtu of natural gas feedstock through agreements with remaining fixed terms of up to approximately 15 years. A discussion of our natural gas supply and IPM agreements can be found in Note 7—Derivative Instruments of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
To ensure that we are able to transport natural gas feedstock to the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal, we have entered into transportation precedent and other agreements to secure firm pipeline transportation capacity from interstate and intrastate pipeline companies. We have also entered into firm storage services agreements with third parties to assist in managing variability in natural gas needs for the Liquefaction Projects.
Capital Expenditures
We enter into lump sum turnkey contracts with third party contractors for the EPC of our Liquefaction Projects. The future capital expenditures included in the table above primarily consist of fixed costs under the Bechtel EPC contract for the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, in which Bechtel charges a lump sum and generally bears project cost, schedule and performance risks unless certain specified events occurred, in which case Bechtel causes us to enter into a change order, or we agree with Bechtel to a change order. In addition to amounts presented in the table above, we expect to incur ongoing capital expenditures to maintain our facilities and other assets, as well as to optimize our existing assets and purchase new assets that are intended to grow our productive capacity. See Financially Disciplined Growth section for further discussion.
Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project
The following table summarizes the project completion and construction status of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project as of December 31, 2023:
| Overall project completion percentage | 51.4% | |
|---|---|---|
| Completion percentage of: | ||
| Engineering | 83.7% | |
| Procurement | 72.2% | |
| Subcontract work | 66.9% | |
| Construction | 11.1% | |
| Date of expected substantial completion | 2Q/3Q 2025 - 2H 2026 |
Leases
Our obligations under our lease arrangements primarily consist of LNG vessel time charters with terms of up to 15 years to ensure delivery of cargoes sold on a DAT basis. We have also entered into leases for the use of tug vessels, office space, marine equipment and facilities and land sites. A discussion of our lease obligations can be found in Note 12—Leases of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Additional Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures
Corporate Activities
We are required to maintain corporate and general and administrative functions to serve our business activities. During the year ended December 31, 2023, selling, general and administrative expense was $0.5 billion, a portion of which was related to leases for office space, which is included in the table of cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures under executed contracts above.
Income Tax
Because the currently enacted CAMT may accelerate or cause volatility in our cash tax payments attributable to variability in AFSI, our cash tax payments may fluctuate over time, influenced by both AFSI variability and the resulting impact of the CAMT on other tax benefits, including potential near-term deferral of the realization of our existing NOL carryforwards. This could result in higher cash tax payments in the near-term relative to the year ended December 31, 2023. Additionally, our cash tax payments may be substantially lower in the periods that the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project is placed into service due to anticipated tax depreciation allowances from the project. Thus, the ongoing interplay between the CAMT,
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the utilization of our existing NOLs and bonus depreciation eligibility of our Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project is expected to cause volatility in our cash tax payments. See the risk Additions or changes in tax laws and regulations could potentially affect our financial results or liquidity under Risks Relating to Our Financial Matters in Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Financially Disciplined Growth
The FID of any expansion projects will result in additional cash requirements to fund the construction and operations of such projects in excess of our current contractual obligations under executed contracts discussed above. However, in connection with reaching FID, we may be required to secure financing to meet the cash needs that such project will initially require, in support of commercializing the project.
Beyond the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, our significant land positions at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal provide potential development and investment opportunities for further liquefaction capacity expansion at strategically advantaged locations with proximity to pipeline infrastructure and resources. We expect that any potential future expansion at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal would increase cash requirements to support expanded operations, although expansion may be designed to leverage shared infrastructure to reduce the incremental costs of any potential expansion.
Future Cash Requirements for Financing under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for financing pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for financing under executed contracts as of December 31, 2023 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2025 - 2028 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Debt | $ | 0.3 | $ | 11.1 | $ | 12.5 | $ | 23.9 | |||||||
| Interest payments | 1.3 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 6.4 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 1.6 | $ | 14.4 | $ | 14.3 | $ | 30.3 |
(1)Debt and interest payments are based on the total debt balance, scheduled contractual maturities and fixed or estimated forward interest rates in effect at December 31, 2023. Debt and interest payments do not contemplate repurchases, repayments and retirements that we may make prior to contractual maturity.
Debt
As of December 31, 2023, our debt complex was comprised of senior notes with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $23.9 billion and credit facilities with no outstanding loan balances. As of December 31, 2023, each of our issuers was in compliance with all covenants related to their respective debt agreements. Further discussion of our debt obligations, including the restrictions imposed by these arrangements, can be found in Note 11—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Interest
As of December 31, 2023, our senior notes had a weighted average contractual interest rate of 4.73%. All of our existing credit facilities include a variable interest rate indexed to SOFR, incorporated through amendments or replacements of previous credit facilities. Undrawn commitments under our credit facilities are subject to commitment fees ranging from 0.075% to 0.525%, subject to change based on the applicable entity’s credit rating. Issued letters of credit under our credit facilities are subject to letter of credit fees ranging from 1.000% to 2.200%, subject to change based on the applicable entity’s credit rating. We had $435 million aggregate amount of issued letters of credit under our credit facilities as of December 31, 2023.
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Additional Future Cash Requirements for Financing
CQP Distributions
CQP is required by its partnership agreement to, within 45 days after the end of each quarter, distribute to unitholders all available cash at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. We own a 48.6% limited partner interest in CQP in the form of 239.9 million common units, 100% of the general partner interest and 100% of the incentive distribution rights, with the remaining non-controlling limited partner interest held by Blackstone Inc., Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and the public. During the year ended December 31, 2023, $1.0 billion in distributions were paid to our non-controlling interests.
Capital Allocation Plan
In September 2022, our Board approved a revised comprehensive long-term capital allocation plan. Pursuant to the revised capital allocation plan, on September 12, 2022 our Board authorized an increase in the existing share repurchase program by $4.0 billion for an additional three years, beginning on October 1, 2022. As of December 31, 2023, we had up to $2.1 billion available under the share repurchase program. The timing and amount of any shares of our common stock that are repurchased under the share repurchase program will be determined by management based on market conditions and other factors. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased a total of 9.5 million shares of our common stock for $1.5 billion at a weighted average price per share of $155.50. A discussion of our share repurchase program can be found in Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholders Matters and Issuer Purchase of Equity Securities.
A further aspect of our capital allocation plan is to lower our long-term leverage target through debt paydown to approximately 4x, which may involve the repayment, redemption or repurchase, on the open market or otherwise, of our indebtedness, including senior notes of SPL, CQP, CCH and Cheniere. The timing and amount of any paydown of our indebtedness will be determined by management based on market conditions and other factors. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we used $1.2 billion of available cash to reduce our outstanding indebtedness, all of which was pursuant to our capital allocation plan.
The capital allocation plan also includes a targeted annual dividend growth rate of approximately 10% through Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project construction. On January 26, 2024, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.435 per share of common stock that is payable on February 23, 2024 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 6, 2024.
Financially Disciplined Growth
To the extent that liquefaction capacity at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal is expanded beyond the Liquefaction Projects, such as the CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project and the SPL Expansion Project, we expect that additional financing would be used to fund construction of the expansion.
Sources and Uses of Cash
The following table summarizes the sources and uses of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents (in millions). The table presents capital expenditures on a cash basis; therefore, these amounts differ from the amounts of capital expenditures, including accruals, which are referred to elsewhere in this report. Additional discussion of these items follows the table.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 8,418 | $ | 10,523 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (2,202) | (1,844) | ||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (4,180) | (8,014) | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents | 2 | 5 | ||||
| Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents | $ | 2,038 | $ | 670 |
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Operating Cash Flows
The $2.1 billion decrease between the periods was primarily related to lower cash receipts from the sale of LNG cargoes due to lower pricing per MMBtu as a result of decreased pricing and a reduction of volumes sold under short-term agreements, as well as a decrease in regasification revenues. A discussion of our revenues, including LNG and regasification revenues, can be found in Note 13—Revenues of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The decrease was partially offset by lower cash outflows for natural gas feedstock, mostly due to lower U.S. natural gas prices.
As described in Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity, our future operating cash flows will be impacted by CAMT, which may result in greater volatility in our cash tax payments, including potentially higher cash payments in the near-term relative to the year ended December 31, 2023. See Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity for additional discussion.
Investing Cash Flows
Our investing net cash outflows in both years primarily were for the construction costs for the Liquefaction Projects. The $358 million increase in 2023 compared to 2022 was primarily due to $1.5 billion of cash outflows during the year ended December 31, 2023 related to construction of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project following our issuance of full notice to proceed to Bechtel in June 2022 compared to $880 million in the comparable period of 2022, partially offset by a decrease in spend due to the completion of Train 6 of the SPL Project in February 2022. We expect to incur a similar level of capital expenditures in the upcoming year as construction work progresses on the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we also made investments in infrastructure expected to support the development, construction and operations of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, including an investment in pipeline capacity for natural gas feedstock. Also during the year ended December 31, 2023, we acquired an existing power generation facility located near Corpus Christi, Texas to mitigate power price risk associated with our anticipated increased power load at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal.
Financing Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our financing activities (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
| Proceeds from issuances of debt | $ | 1,397 | $ | 1,575 | |||
| Redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt | (2,598) | (6,771) | |||||
| Distributions to non-controlling interest | (1,016) | (947) | |||||
| Repurchase of common stock | (1,473) | (1,373) | |||||
| Dividends to stockholders | (393) | (349) | |||||
| Other, net | (97) | (149) | |||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (4,180) | $ | (8,014) |
Debt Issuances
During the year ended December 31, 2023, CQP issued an aggregate principal amount of $1.4 billion of 2033 CQP Senior Notes, the proceeds of which were used, together with cash on hand, to redeem $1.4 billion of the 2024 SPL Senior Notes. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2023, SPL purchased $200 million of the 2024 SPL Senior Notes in the open market and redeemed an additional $100 million of the 2024 SPL Senior Notes. As of December 31, 2023, the only bonds maturing in 2024 are the remaining $300 million outstanding of the 2024 SPL Senior Notes. During the year ended December 31, 2022, SPL issued $430 million of 5.900% Senior Secured Amortizing Notes due 2037 and $70 million of 2037 SPL Private Placement Senior Secured Notes, and we had total borrowings of $1.1 billion under our credit facilities. The proceeds from the borrowings during the year ended December 31, 2022, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem or repurchase $6.8 billion of outstanding indebtedness, entirely associated with redemptions of our outstanding notes or repayment of amounts outstanding under our credit facilities.
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Debt Redemptions, Repayments and Repurchases
The following table shows the redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt, including intra-year repayments (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
| Redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt | |||||||
| SPL: | |||||||
| 2024 SPL Senior Notes | $ | (1,700) | $ | — | |||
| 2023 SPL Senior Notes | — | (1,500) | |||||
| SPL Working Capital Facility | — | (60) | |||||
| CCH: | |||||||
| CCH Credit Facility | — | (2,169) | |||||
| CCH Working Capital Facility | — | (250) | |||||
| 7.000% Senior Notes due 2024 | (498) | (752) | |||||
| 5.625% Senior Notes due 2025 | — | (9) | |||||
| 5.125% Senior Notes due 2027 | (69) | (230) | |||||
| 3.700% Senior Notes due 2029 | (237) | (138) | |||||
| 2.742% Senior Notes due 2039 | (94) | — | |||||
| 3.788% weighted average Senior Notes rate due 2039 | — | (88) | |||||
| Cheniere: | |||||||
| 2045 Cheniere Convertible Senior Notes | — | (500) | |||||
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | — | (575) | |||||
| 4.625% Senior Notes due 2028 | — | (500) | |||||
| Total redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt | $ | (2,598) | $ | (6,771) |
Non-Controlling Interest Distributions
We own a 48.6% limited partner interest in CQP with the remaining non-controlling limited partner interest held by Blackstone Inc., Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and the public. Distributions of $1.0 billion and $947 million were paid during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, to non-controlling interests.
Repurchase of Common Stock
During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we paid $1.5 billion and $1.4 billion to repurchase 9.5 million and 9.4 million shares of our common stock, respectively, under our share repurchase program. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $2.1 billion remaining under our share repurchase program.
Cash Dividends to Stockholders
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we paid aggregate dividends of $1.62 per share of common stock, for a total of $393 million. We paid aggregate dividends of $1.385 per share of common stock, for a total of $349 million during the year ended December 31, 2022.
On January 26, 2024, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.435 per share of common stock that is payable on February 23, 2024 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 6, 2024.
Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. Management evaluates its estimates and related assumptions regularly, including those related to the valuation of derivative instruments. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised
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estimates, and actual results may differ from these estimates. Management considers the following to be its most critical accounting estimates that involve significant judgment.
Fair Value of Level 3 Physical Liquefaction Supply Derivatives
All of our derivative instruments are recorded at fair value, as described in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. We record changes in the fair value of our derivative positions through earnings, based on the value for which the derivative instrument could be exchanged between willing parties. Valuation of our physical liquefaction supply derivative contracts is often developed through the use of internal models which includes significant unobservable inputs representing Level 3 fair value measurements as further described in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. In instances where observable data is unavailable, consideration is given to the assumptions that market participants may use in valuing the asset or liability. To the extent valued using an option pricing model, we consider the future prices of energy units for unobservable periods to be a significant unobservable input to estimated net fair value. In estimating the future prices of energy units, we make judgments about market risk related to liquidity of commodity indices and volatility utilizing available market data. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised estimates and judgments, and actual results may differ from these estimates and judgments. We derive our volatility assumptions based on observed historical settled global LNG market pricing or accepted proxies for global LNG market pricing as well as settled domestic natural gas pricing. Such volatility assumptions also contemplate, as of the balance sheet date, observable forward curve data of such indices, as well as evolving available industry data and independent studies. In developing our volatility assumptions, we acknowledge that the global LNG industry is inherently influenced by events such as unplanned supply constraints, geopolitical incidents, unusual climate events including drought and uncommonly mild, by historical standards, winters and summers, and real or threatened disruptive operational impacts to global energy infrastructure. Our current estimate of volatility does not exclude the impact of otherwise rare events unless we believe market participants would exclude such events on account of their assertion that those events were specific to our company and deemed within our control.
As applicable to our natural gas supply contracts, our fair value estimates incorporate market participant-based assumptions pertaining to applicable contractual uncertainties, including those related to the availability of market information for delivery points, as well as the timing of both satisfaction of contractual events or states of affairs and delivery commencement. We may recognize changes in fair value through earnings that could be significant to our results of operations if and when such uncertainties are resolved.
Additionally, the valuation of certain physical liquefaction supply derivatives requires significant judgment in estimating underlying forward commodity curves due to periods of unobservability or limited liquidity. Such valuations are more susceptible to variability particularly when markets are volatile. Provided below are the changes in fair value from valuation of instruments valued through the use of internal models which incorporate significant unobservable inputs for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in millions), which entirely consisted of physical liquefaction supply derivatives. The changes in fair value shown are limited to instruments still held at the end of each respective period.
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
| Favorable (unfavorable) changes in fair value relating to instruments still held at the end of the period | $ | 5,700 | $ | (6,493) |
The changes in fair value on instruments held at the end of both years are primarily attributed to a significant variance in the estimated and observable forward international LNG commodity prices on our IPM agreements during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
The estimated fair value of level 3 derivatives recognized in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 amounted to a liability of $2.2 billion and $9.9 billion, respectively, consisting entirely of physical liquefaction supply derivatives.
The ultimate fair value of our derivative instruments is uncertain, and we believe that it is reasonably possible that a material change in the estimated fair value could occur in the near future, particularly as it relates to commodity prices given the level of volatility in the current year. See Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk for further analysis of the sensitivity of the fair value of our derivatives to hypothetical changes in underlying prices.
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Recent Accounting Standards
For a summary of recently issued accounting standards, see Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000003570-23-000042.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Introduction
The following discussion and analysis presents management’s view of our business, financial condition and overall performance and should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. This information is intended to provide investors with an understanding of our past performance, current financial condition and outlook for the future. Discussion of 2020 items and variance drivers between the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020 are not included herein and can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
Our discussion and analysis includes the following subjects:
•Overview
•Overview of Significant Events
•Market Environment
•Results of Operations
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
•Recent Accounting Standards
Overview
We are an energy infrastructure company primarily engaged in LNG-related businesses. We provide clean, secure and affordable LNG to integrated energy companies, utilities and energy trading companies around the world. We operate two natural gas liquefaction and export facilities at Sabine Pass, Louisiana and near Corpus Christi, Texas (respectively, the “Sabine Pass LNG Terminal” and “Corpus Christi LNG Terminal”) with a total of nine operational natural gas liquefaction Trains. In addition to natural gas liquefaction facilities at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal (the “SPL Project”), the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal also has operational regasification facilities and pipelines that interconnect our facilities to several interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines. The Corpus Christi LNG Terminal includes existing natural gas liquefaction facilities, an expansion project underway for up to seven midscale Trains (the “Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project”) and pipelines that interconnect our facilities to several interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines (the “CCL Project”, and together with the SPL Project, the “Liquefaction Projects”). For further discussion of our business, see Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties.
Our long-term customer arrangements form the foundation of our business and provide us with significant, stable, long-term cash flows. Through our SPAs and IPM agreements, we have contracted approximately 95% of the total anticipated production from the Liquefaction Projects through the mid-2030s, inclusive of contracts executed to support additional liquefaction capacity at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal beyond the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project. Excluding contracts with terms less than 10 years and contracts executed to support additional liquefaction capacity at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal beyond the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, our SPAs and IPM agreements had approximately 17 years of weighted average remaining life as of December 31, 2022. The majority of our contracts are fixed-priced, long-term SPAs consisting of a fixed fee per MMBtu of LNG plus a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG, with the variable fees generally structured to cover the cost of natural gas purchases and transportation and liquefaction fuel to produce LNG, thus limiting our exposure to fluctuations in U.S. natural gas prices. During 2022, we continued to grow our portfolio of SPA and IPM agreements, and we believe that continued global demand for natural gas and LNG, as further described in Market Factors and Competition in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties, will provide a foundation for additional growth in our portfolio of customer contracts in the future. The continued strength and stability of our long-term cash flows served as the foundation of our revised comprehensive, long-term capital allocation plan announced in 2022, which includes an increased share repurchase authorization, lowered consolidated long-term leverage target, increased dividends and continued investment in accretive organic growth.
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Overview of Significant Events
Our significant events since January 1, 2022 and through the filing date of this Form 10-K include the following:
Strategic
•In February 2023, certain subsidiaries of Cheniere Partners initiated the pre-filing review process with the FERC under the National Environmental Policy Act for an expansion adjacent to the SPL Project consisting of up to three Trains with an expected total production capacity of approximately 20 mtpa of LNG.
•On January 2, 2023, Corey Grindal, formerly Executive Vice President, Worldwide Trading, was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company.
•On October 3, 2022, our Board appointed Mr. Brian E. Edwards to serve as a member of our Board. Mr. Edwards was appointed to the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee of our Board.
•In September 2022, certain of our subsidiaries entered the pre-filing review process with the FERC under the National Environmental Policy Act for an expansion adjacent to the CCL Project consisting of two midscale Trains with an expected total production capacity of approximately 3 mtpa of LNG (“CCL Midscale Trains 8 and 9”).
•On June 15, 2022, our Board made a positive FID with respect to the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project following the execution of an EPC contract with Bechtel for the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project for a contract price of approximately $5.5 billion, subject to adjustment only by change order, and issuance of a limited notice to proceed to commence early engineering, procurement and site works in March 2022. CCL Stage III issued a full notice to proceed with construction to Bechtel effective June 16, 2022. In connection with the positive FID, CCL Stage III was contributed to CCH and subsequently merged with and into CCL, with CCL the surviving company of the merger and a wholly owned subsidiary of CCH. In connection with the merger, contracts held by CCL Stage III were transferred to CCL.
•In June 2022, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (“Chevron”) entered into an agreement with SPLNG providing for the early termination of the TUA and an associated terminal marine services agreement (“TMSA”) between the parties and their affiliates (the “Termination Agreement”), effective July 6, 2022, for a lump sum fee of $765 million.
•We entered into, or amended, the following agreements:
◦We entered into new or amended long-term SPAs aggregating approximately 140 million tonnes of LNG to be delivered between 2026 and 2050, inclusive of long-term SPAs with Engie SA, Equinor ASA, Chevron, POSCO International Corporation, PetroChina International Company Limited and PTT Global LNG Company Limited, approximately 50 million tonnes of which is subject to Cheniere making a final investment decision to construct additional liquefaction capacity at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal beyond the seven-train Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project or us unilaterally waiving that requirement.
◦In May 2022, CCL Stage III entered into an IPM agreement with ARC Resources U.S. Corp, a subsidiary of ARC Resources, Ltd., to purchase 140,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas at a price based on Platts Japan Korea Marker (“JKM”), for a term of approximately 15 years commencing with commercial operations of Train 7 of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project. The LNG associated with this gas supply, approximately 0.85 mtpa, will be marketed by Cheniere Marketing.
◦In February 2022, CCL Stage III amended the IPM agreement previously entered into with EOG Resources, Inc. (“EOG”), increasing the volume and term of natural gas supply from 140,000 MMBtu per day for 10 years, to 420,000 MMBtu per day for 15 years, with pricing continuing to be based on JKM. Under the amended IPM agreement, supply is targeted to commence upon completion of Trains 1, 4 and 5 of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project. In addition, the previously executed gas supply agreement, under which EOG sells 300,000 MMBtu per day to CCL Stage III at a price indexed to Henry Hub, was extended by 5 years, resulting in a 15 year term that is expected to commence upon start-up of the amended IPM agreement. The LNG associated with this gas supply, approximately 2.55 mtpa, will be owned and marketed by Cheniere Marketing.
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Operational
•As of February 17, 2023, approximately 2,650 cumulative LNG cargoes totaling over 180 million tonnes of LNG have been produced, loaded and exported from the Liquefaction Projects.
•On October 27, 2022, substantial completion of the third berth at the Sabine Pass Terminal was achieved.
•On February 4, 2022, substantial completion of Train 6 of the SPL Project was achieved (the “Train 6 Completion”).
Financial
•We completed the following debt transactions:
◦In December and November 2022, SPL issued an aggregate principal amount of $70 million of 6.293% Senior Secured Notes due 2037 (the “6.293% SPL Senior Notes”) and $430 million of 5.900% Senior Secured Amortizing Notes due 2037 (the “5.900% SPL Senior Notes”), respectively, with a weighted average life of approximately 9.6 years and 9.5 years, respectively. The proceeds from the 6.293% SPL Senior Notes and the 5.900% SPL Senior Notes, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem the remaining outstanding amount of SPL’s $1.5 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Secured Notes due 2023 (the “2023 SPL Senior Notes”), subsequent to the $300 million redemption in October 2022.
◦In December 2022, we repurchased $752 million in aggregate principal amount outstanding of CCH’s 7.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the “2024 CCH Senior Notes”) pursuant to a tender offer, with cash on hand. In January 2023, the remaining outstanding principal amount of $498 million of the 2024 CCH Senior Notes was redeemed with cash on hand.
◦In June 2022, CCH amended and restated its term loan credit facility (the “CCH Credit Facility”) and its working capital facility (the “CCH Working Capital Facility”) to, among other things, (1) increase the commitments to approximately $4.0 billion and $1.5 billion for the CCH Credit Facility and the CCH Working Capital Facility, respectively, which are intended to fund a portion of the cost of developing, constructing and operating the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, (2) extend the maturity of the CCH Credit Facility to the earlier of June 15, 2029 or two years after the substantial completion of the last Train of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project and extend the maturity of the CCH Working Capital Facility to June 15, 2027, (3) update the indexed interest rate to SOFR and (4) make certain other changes to the terms and conditions of each existing facility.
•In November 2022 and January 2023, Cheniere achieved its first and second issuer investment grade credit ratings from S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) and Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”), respectively, the former of which resulted in the reduction of applicable margin and letter of credit fee rates on Cheniere’s revolving credit facility from 1.625% to 1.5% on LIBOR loans and the reduction of commitment fee rates from 0.25% to 0.225% and the release of previously required collateral resulting from the facility’s unsecured status.
•In September 2022, Moody’s Corporation (“Moody’s”) upgraded its issuer credit ratings of Cheniere, CQP and SPL from Ba3, Ba2 and Baa3, respectively, to Ba1, Ba1 and Baa2, respectively, with a stable outlook. Additionally in September 2022, Fitch upgraded its issuer credit ratings of CQP and SPL from BB+ and BBB-, respectively, to BBB- and BBB, respectively, both investment grade credit ratings, with a stable outlook. In November 2022, CQP achieved its second issuer investment grade credit rating from S&P, as a result of an upgrade from BB+ to BBB, with a stable outlook, which resulted in the release of previous required collateral on CQP’s revolving credit facility, resulting from the facility’s unsecured status. In February 2023, S&P also upgraded its issuer credit ratings of SPL from BBB to BBB+ with stable outlook.
•In September 2022, our Board approved a revised comprehensive, long-term capital allocation plan which included:
◦increasing the share repurchase authorization by $4.0 billion for an additional 3 years, beginning on October 1, 2022;
◦lowering our consolidated long-term leverage target to approximately 4x;
◦increasing our dividend by 20% commencing with a declared distribution of $0.395 per common share in September 2022 (paid in November 2022), and targeting an approximate 10% annual dividend growth rate through Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project construction; and
◦continuing to invest in accretive organic growth.
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•We accomplished the following pursuant to our capital allocation priorities:
◦During the year ended December 31, 2022, we prepaid $5.4 billion of consolidated long-term indebtedness pursuant to our capital allocation plan.
◦During the year ended December 31, 2022, we repurchased approximately 9.3 million shares of our common stock as part of our share repurchase program for approximately $1.4 billion. The shares repurchased during the year ended December 31, 2022 include approximately 2.7 million shares of our common stock beneficially owned by Icahn Capital LP and certain affiliates of Icahn Capital LP (the “Icahn Group”) that we repurchased for approximately $350 million.
◦We paid aggregate dividends of $1.385 per share of common stock during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Market Environment
The LNG market in 2022 saw unprecedented price volatility across all natural gas and LNG benchmarks. Gas market fundamentals across the globe were tight and exacerbated by the Russia / Ukraine war risks, and later by the drastic reduction in Russian natural gas flows to the EU. Concerns over low natural gas and LNG inventories and low additional LNG supply availability early in the year were intensified by the war dynamics in Europe and by further constraints on natural gas and LNG supplies caused by the outage at the Freeport LNG facility in June and the explosion on the Nordstream 1 and Nordstream 2 Pipelines in September. Several EU policy initiatives were passed to ensure underground gas storage in the region was filled before winter. Europe had to compete for LNG cargoes resulting in unprecedented price spikes. These conditions were worsened by high coal prices, low nuclear generation output and low hydro levels in Europe, which limited optionality for power generators and deepened the energy crisis in Europe.
Despite the generally tight supply conditions, according to Kpler, global LNG demand grew by approximately 5% from 2021, adding an additional 19.5 million tonnes to the overall market. LNG imports into Europe and Turkey increased by 45.9 million tonnes, or 61% year-over-year in 2022. This growth was primarily accompanied by a pronounced slowdown in economic activity in China, which contributed to a 7% decrease in Asia’s LNG demand of 19.1 million tonnes from 2021. These sizeable EU LNG requirements resulting from the war fallout and the increase in global demand, especially demand for increased imports to Europe and Turkey, exposed the vulnerability of the LNG industry in terms of supply constraints and under-investments. This was manifested in the price levels and the magnitude of the price spreads between the benchmarks. As an example, the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (“TTF”) monthly settlement prices averaged $40.9/MMBtu in 2022, approximately 184% higher than the $14.4/MMBtu average in 2021, and the TTF monthly settlement prices averaged $42.3/MMBtu in the fourth quarter of 2022, approximately 46% higher than the $28.9/MMBtu average in the fourth quarter of 2021. Similarly, the 2022 average settlement price for the JKM increased 128% year-over-year to an average of $34.2/MMBtu in 2022, and the fourth quarter of 2022 average settlement price for the JKM increased 38% year-over-year to an average of $38.5/MMBtu. This extreme price increase triggered a strong supply response from the U.S., which played a significant role in balancing the global LNG market. Despite the outage at Freeport LNG, the U.S. exported approximately 77 million tonnes of LNG in 2022, a gain of approximately 9% from 2021, as the market continued to pull on supplies from our facilities and those of our competitors. Exports from our Liquefaction Projects reached 44 million tonnes in aggregate, representing over 85% of the gain in the U.S. total for the year.
Despite the global impacts of the Russia / Ukraine war, we do not believe we have significant exposure to adverse direct or indirect impacts of the war, as we do not conduct business in Russia and refrain from business dealings with Russian entities. Additionally, we are not aware of any specific adverse direct or indirect effects of the war on our supply chain. Consequently, we believe we are well positioned to help meet the increased demand of our international LNG customers to overcome their supply shortages.
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Results of Operations
Consolidated results of operations
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except per share data) | 2022 | 2021 | Variance | |||||||||||
| Revenues | ||||||||||||||
| LNG revenues | $ | 31,804 | $ | 15,395 | $ | 16,409 | ||||||||
| Regasification revenues | 1,068 | 269 | 799 | |||||||||||
| Other revenues | 556 | 200 | 356 | |||||||||||
| Total revenues | 33,428 | 15,864 | 17,564 | |||||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses | ||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales (excluding items shown separately below) | 25,632 | 13,773 | 11,859 | |||||||||||
| Operating and maintenance expense | 1,681 | 1,444 | 237 | |||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expense | 416 | 325 | 91 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization expense | 1,119 | 1,011 | 108 | |||||||||||
| Development expense | 16 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||||
| Other | 5 | 5 | — | |||||||||||
| Total operating costs and expenses | 28,869 | 16,565 | 12,304 | |||||||||||
| Income (loss) from operations | 4,559 | (701) | 5,260 | |||||||||||
| Other income (expense) | ||||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net of capitalized interest | (1,406) | (1,438) | 32 | |||||||||||
| Loss on modification or extinguishment of debt | (66) | (116) | 50 | |||||||||||
| Interest rate derivative gain (loss), net | 2 | (1) | 3 | |||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 5 | (22) | 27 | |||||||||||
| Total other expense | (1,465) | (1,577) | 112 | |||||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes and non-controlling interest | 3,094 | (2,278) | 5,372 | |||||||||||
| Less: income tax provision (benefit) | 459 | (713) | 1,172 | |||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | 2,635 | (1,565) | 4,200 | |||||||||||
| Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interest | 1,207 | 778 | 429 | |||||||||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders | $ | 1,428 | $ | (2,343) | $ | 3,771 | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders—basic | $ | 5.69 | $ | (9.25) | $ | 14.94 | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders—diluted | $ | 5.64 | $ | (9.25) | $ | 14.89 |
Volumes loaded and recognized from the Liquefaction Projects
| Year Ended December 31, 2022 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in TBtu) | Operational | Commissioning | Total | ||||||||
| Volumes loaded during the current period | 2,295 | 13 | 2,308 | ||||||||
| Volumes loaded during the prior period but recognized during the current period | 49 | 1 | 50 | ||||||||
| Less: volumes loaded during the current period and in transit at the end of the period | (56) | — | (56) | ||||||||
| Total volumes recognized in the current period | 2,288 | 14 | 2,302 |
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Components of LNG revenues and corresponding LNG volumes delivered
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | Variance | ||||||||||||
| LNG revenues (in millions): | ||||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | $ | 20,702 | $ | 11,990 | $ | 8,712 | ||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements | 10,169 | 4,361 | 5,808 | |||||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties | 760 | 499 | 261 | |||||||||||
| Net derivative losses | (328) | (1,776) | 1,448 | |||||||||||
| Other revenues | 501 | 321 | 180 | |||||||||||
| Total LNG revenues | $ | 31,804 | $ | 15,395 | $ | 16,409 | ||||||||
| Volumes delivered as LNG revenues (in TBtu): | ||||||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | 1,926 | 1,608 | 318 | |||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements | 362 | 344 | 18 | |||||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties | 29 | 45 | (16) | |||||||||||
| Total volumes delivered as LNG revenues | 2,317 | 1,997 | 320 |
(1)Long-term agreements include agreements with an initial tenure of 12 months or more.
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders. The favorable variance of $3.8 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period of 2021 was primarily attributable to:
•increased LNG revenues, net of cost of sales and excluding the effect of derivative losses (as further described below), of $5.1 billion, of which approximately 80% was attributable to higher margins on sales indexed to or derived from (1) international gas prices, as a result of increases in the associated indices and (2) Henry Hub, with variable consideration on our long-term SPAs generally priced at 115% of Henry Hub, and approximately 20% was attributable to increased volume delivered between the comparable periods, in part due to the Train 6 Completion and, to a lesser extent, the substantial completion and commencement of operations of Train 3 of the CCL Project on March 26, 2021 (the “Train 3 Completion”); and
•additional income resulting from the lump sum fee from Chevron of $765 million related to the Termination Agreement, as discussed in Overview of Significant Events;
These favorable variance drivers were partially offset by:
•increased derivative losses from changes in fair value and settlements of $544 million (before tax and the impact of non-controlling interest) between the years, including derivative losses from changes in fair value of $4.3 billion in the year ended December 31, 2021 to $5.7 billion in the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily related to our IPM agreements where we procure natural gas at a price indexed to international gas prices; and
•a $1.2 billion unfavorable change in income tax provision (benefit).
The following is an additional detailed discussion of the significant variance drivers of the change in net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by line item:
Revenues. $17.6 billion increase between comparable periods primarily attributable to:
•$12.2 billion increase due to higher pricing per MMBtu, from both increased Henry Hub pricing, for which the majority of our long-term contracts are indexed, and from international gas pricing;
•$2.6 billion increase due to higher volumes of LNG delivered between the periods, which increased 320 TBtu or 16%, due to Train 6 Completion and, to a lesser extent, the Train 3 Completion, which have a total production capacity aggregating approximately 10 mtpa;
•$1.4 billion decrease in derivative losses from change in fair value and settlements, primarily due to shifts in forward commodity curves related to arrangements designed to economically hedge commodity markets in which we have contractual arrangements to sell physical LNG;
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•$799 million increase in regasification revenues, due to the acceleration of regasification revenues from the Termination Agreement with Chevron, as described above in Overview of Significant Events; and
•$356 million increase in other revenues, primarily due to an increase in sublease income from LNG vessel subcharters as a result of higher rates and an increase in the total number of days subchartered due to the availability of and demand for vessel charter capacity between the periods.
Operating costs and expenses. $12.3 billion increase between comparable periods primarily attributable to:
•$9.9 billion increase in cost of sales excluding the effect of derivative losses described below, primarily as a result of $8.9 billion in increased cost of natural gas feedstock largely due to higher U.S. natural gas prices and, to a lesser extent, from increased volume of natural gas liquified and delivered as LNG, as discussed above under the caption Revenues;
•$2.0 billion increase in derivative losses from changes in fair value and settlements included in cost of sales, from $4.2 billion in the year ended December 31, 2021 to $6.2 billion in the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to non-cash unfavorable changes in fair value of our commodity derivatives that are attributed to positions indexed to international gas prices; and
•$237 million increase in operating and maintenance expense primarily due to increased natural gas transportation and storage capacity demand charges following the Train 6 Completion and the Train 3 Completion as well as third party service and maintenance contract costs.
Other expense (income). $112 million decrease in total other expense between comparable periods primarily attributable to:
•$50 million decrease in loss on modification or extinguishment of debt, primarily due to a reduction in premiums paid for the early redemption or repayment of debt principal, as further described under Financing Cash Flows in Sources and Uses of Cash within Liquidity and Capital Resources, partially offset by a $31 million loss associated with a premium paid to Chevron to terminate a revenue sharing agreement between the parties;
•$32 million decrease in interest expense, net of capitalized interest, as a result of repayment of debt in accordance with our capital allocation plan and lower interest costs due to refinancing higher cost debt, which was partially offset by a lower portion of total interest costs eligible for capitalization following substantial completion of Train 3 of the CCL Project and Train 6 of the SPL Project in 2021 and 2022, respectively; and
•$27 million favorable variance in other expense (income), net primarily due to higher interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents from higher interest rates in 2022, partially offset by increased other-than-temporary impairment losses related to our investment in Midship Holdings.
Income tax provision (benefit). $1.2 billion increase between comparable periods primarily attributable to an increase in pretax income.
The effective tax rate was 14.8% and 31.3% for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The 2022 effective tax rate was less than the statutory tax rate primarily due to income allocated to non-controlling interest not taxable to Cheniere, partially offset by an increase in the valuation allowance on our Louisiana net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards. The 2021 effective tax rate represents a tax benefit on pre-tax losses and was higher than the statutory tax rate primarily due to income allocated to non-controlling interest not taxable to Cheniere and a decrease in the valuation allowance on our Louisiana NOL carryforwards. Our valuation allowance on Louisiana NOLs decreased in 2021 primarily as a result of a change in tax law allowing for indefinite carryover of NOLs and our valuation allowance on Louisiana NOLs increased in 2022 due to a reduction in our forecasted Louisiana taxable income as a result of receiving favorable guidance from the Louisiana Department of Revenue on a state apportionment tax matter. See further discussion in Note 15—Income Taxes of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Our effective tax rate is subject to variation prospectively due to variability in our pre-tax and taxable earnings and the proportion of such earnings attributable to non-controlling interests.
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest. $429 million increase between comparable periods primarily attributable to $0.9 billion increase in CQP’s consolidated net income between the comparable periods.
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Significant factors affecting our results of operations
In addition to sources and uses of liquidity as discussed in Liquidity and Capital Resources, below are additional significant factors that affect our results of operations.
Gains and losses on derivative instruments
Derivative instruments, which in addition to managing exposure to commodity-related marketing and price risks are utilized to manage exposure to changing interest rates and foreign exchange volatility, are reported at fair value on our Consolidated Financial Statements. For commodity derivative instruments related to our IPM agreements, including those entered into during the year ended December 31, 2022 as described further in Overview of Significant Events, the underlying LNG sales being economically hedged are accounted for under the accrual method of accounting, whereby revenues expected to be derived from the future LNG sales are recognized only upon delivery or realization of the underlying transaction. Because the recognition of derivative instruments at fair value has the effect of recognizing gains or losses relating to future period exposure, and given the significant volumes, long-term duration and volatility in price basis for certain of our derivative contracts, use of derivative instruments may result in continued volatility of our results of operations based on changes in market pricing, counterparty credit risk and other relevant factors that may be outside of our control, notwithstanding the operational intent to mitigate risk exposure over time.
Commissioning cargoes
Prior to substantial completion of a Train, amounts received from the sale of commissioning cargoes from that Train are offset against LNG terminal construction-in-process, because these amounts are earned or loaded during the testing phase for the construction of that Train. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we realized offsets to LNG terminal costs of $204 million and $319 million, corresponding to 15 TBtu and 42 TBtu, respectively, that were related to the sale of commissioning cargoes from the Liquefaction Projects.
Customer agreements at SPL
During the year ended December 31, 2022, in fulfillment of a prior commitment to collateralize financing for Train 6 of the SPL Project, Cheniere provided to SPL certain SPAs aggregating approximately 21 million tonnes of LNG to be delivered between 2023 and 2035 and an IPM agreement to purchase 140,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas for a term of approximately 15 years beginning in early 2023. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2022, SPL executed an SPA with a counterparty aggregating approximately 1.0 mtpa of LNG to be delivered between 2026 and 2042. As a result, net income attributable to non-controlling interest will be impacted in future periods as volumes are delivered under the aforementioned contracts and by gains and losses from changes in the fair value of the IPM agreement, which is accounted for as a derivative.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following information describes our ability to generate and obtain adequate amounts of cash to meet our requirements in the short term and the long term. In the short term, we expect to meet our cash requirements using operating cash flows and available liquidity, consisting of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents and available commitments under our credit facilities. In the long term, we expect to meet our cash requirements using operating cash flows and other future potential sources of liquidity, which may include debt and equity offerings by us or our subsidiaries. The table below provides a summary of our available liquidity (in millions). Future material sources of liquidity are discussed below.
| December 31, 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents (1) | $ | 1,353 |
| Restricted cash and cash equivalents designated for the following purposes: | ||
| SPL Project | 92 | |
| CCL Project | 738 | |
| Cash held by our subsidiaries that is restricted to Cheniere | 304 | |
| Total restricted cash and cash equivalents | 1,134 | |
| Available commitments under our credit facilities (2): | ||
| SPL’s working capital revolving credit and letter of credit reimbursement agreement (the “SPL Working Capital Facility”) | 872 | |
| CQP’s credit facilities | 750 | |
| CCH Credit Facility | 3,260 | |
| CCH Working Capital Facility | 1,322 | |
| Cheniere’s revolving credit facility (the “Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility”) | 1,250 | |
| Total available commitments under our credit facilities | 7,454 | |
| Total available liquidity | $ | 9,941 |
(1)Amounts presented include balances held by our consolidated variable interest entity, CQP, as discussed in Note 9—Non-controlling Interest and Variable Interest Entity of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. As of December 31, 2022, assets of CQP, which are included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, included $0.9 billion of cash and cash equivalents.
(2)Available commitments represent total commitments less loans outstanding and letters of credit issued under each of our credit facilities as of December 31, 2022. See Note 11—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our credit facilities and other debt instruments.
Our liquidity position subsequent to December 31, 2022 will be driven by future sources of liquidity and future cash requirements as further discussed below under the caption Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity.
Although our sources and uses of cash are presented below from a consolidated standpoint, SPL, CQP, CCH and Cheniere operate with independent capital structures. Certain restrictions under debt and equity instruments executed by our subsidiaries limit each entity’s ability to distribute cash, including the following:
•SPL and CCH are required to deposit all cash received into restricted cash and cash equivalents accounts under certain of their debt agreements. The usage or withdrawal of such cash is restricted to the payment of liabilities related to the Liquefaction Projects and other restricted payments. In addition, SPL and CCH’s operating expenses are managed by our subsidiaries under affiliate agreements, which may require SPL and CCH to advance cash to the respective affiliates, however the cash remains restricted to Cheniere for operation and construction of the Liquefaction Projects;
•CQP is required under its partnership agreement to distribute to unitholders all available cash on hand at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. Beginning with the distribution paid in the second quarter of 2022, quarterly distributions by CQP are comprised of a base amount plus a variable amount equal to the remaining available cash per unit, which takes into consideration, among other things, amounts reserved for annual debt repayment and capital allocation goals, anticipated capital expenditures to be funded with cash, and cash reserves to provide for the proper conduct of CQP’s business.
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•Our 48.6% limited partner interest, 100% general partner interest and incentive distribution rights in CQP limit our right to receive cash held by CQP to the amounts specified by the provisions of CQP’s partnership agreement; and
•SPL, CQP and CCH are restricted by affirmative and negative covenants included in certain of their debt agreements in their ability to make certain payments, including distributions, unless specific requirements are satisfied.
Notwithstanding the restrictions noted above, we believe that sufficient flexibility exists within the Cheniere complex to enable each independent capital structure to meet its currently anticipated cash requirements. The sources of liquidity at SPL, CQP and CCH primarily fund the cash requirements of the respective entity, and any remaining liquidity not subject to restriction, as supplemented by liquidity provided by Cheniere Marketing, is available to enable Cheniere to meet its cash requirements.
Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity
Future Sources of Liquidity under Executed Contracts
Because many of our sales contracts have long-term durations, we are contractually entitled to significant future consideration under our SPAs and TUAs which has not yet been recognized as revenue. This future consideration is in most cases not yet legally due to us and was not reflected on our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022. In addition, a significant portion of this future consideration is subject to variability as discussed more specifically below. We anticipate that this consideration will be available to meet liquidity needs in the future. The following table summarizes our estimate of future material sources of liquidity to be received from executed contracts as of December 31, 2022 (in billions):
| Estimated Revenues Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2024 - 2027 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| LNG revenues (fixed fees) (2) | $ | 6.1 | $ | 26.1 | $ | 79.8 | $ | 112.0 | |||||||
| LNG revenues (variable fees) (2) (3) | 10.5 | 46.2 | 144.5 | 201.2 | |||||||||||
| Regasification revenues | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.8 | |||||||||||
| Financial derivatives (4) | (0.1) | — | — | (0.1) | |||||||||||
| Other revenues (5) | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 16.8 | $ | 73.0 | $ | 224.6 | $ | 314.4 |
(1)Agreements in force as of December 31, 2022 that have terms dependent on project milestone dates are based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2022. The timing of revenue recognition under GAAP may not align with cash receipts, although we do not consider the timing difference to be material. The estimates above reflect management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2022. Estimates are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially as a result of a variety of factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K.
(2)LNG revenues exclude revenues from contracts with original expected durations of one year or less. Fixed fees are fees that are due to us regardless of whether a customer exercises their contractual right to not take delivery of an LNG cargo under the contract. Variable fees are receivable only in connection with LNG cargoes that are delivered.
(3)LNG revenues (variable fees) reflect the assumption that customers elect to take delivery of all cargoes made available under the contract. LNG revenues (variable fees) are based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2022. The pricing structure of our SPA arrangements with our customers incorporates a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub, which is paid upon delivery, thus limiting our net exposure to future increases in natural gas prices. Certain of our contracts contain additional variable consideration based on the outcome of contingent events and the movement of various indexes. We have not included such variable consideration to the extent the consideration is considered constrained due to the uncertainty of ultimate pricing and receipt.
(4)Financial derivatives include certain LNG Trading Derivatives that are recorded as LNG revenues based on the nature and intent of the derivative instrument. Pricing of financial derivatives is based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2022.
(5)Other revenues include payments to be received from certain LNG vessel subcharters.
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LNG Revenues
Through our SPAs and IPM agreements, we have contracted substantially all of the total anticipated production capacity from the Liquefaction Projects. The majority of the contracted capacity is comprised of fixed-price, long-term SPAs that SPL and CCL have executed with third parties to sell LNG from the SPL Project and the CCL Project, including the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project. Substantially all of our contracted capacity is from contracts with terms exceeding 10 years. Excluding contracts with terms less than 10 years and contracts executed to support additional liquefaction capacity at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal beyond the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, our SPAs had approximately 17 years of weighted average remaining life as of December 31, 2022. Under the SPAs, the customers purchase LNG on either a FOB or delivered at terminal (“DAT”) basis for a price consisting of a fixed fee per MMBtu of LNG (a portion of which is subject to annual adjustment for inflation) plus a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub. Certain customers may elect to cancel or suspend deliveries of LNG cargoes, with advance notice as governed by each respective SPA, in which case the customers would still be required to pay the fixed fee with respect to the contracted volumes that are not delivered as a result of such cancellation or suspension. The variable fees under our SPAs were generally sized with the intention to cover the costs of gas purchases and variable transportation and liquefaction fuel to produce the LNG to be sold under each such SPA. In aggregate, the annual fixed fee portion to be paid by the third-party SPA customers is approximately $3.4 billion for the SPL Project and $2.7 billion for the CCL Project, including the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project. Our long-term SPA customers consist of creditworthy counterparties, with an average credit rating of A-, A3 and A- by S&P, Moody’s and Fitch, respectively. A discussion of revenues under our SPAs can be found in Note 13—Revenues of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
We market and sell LNG produced by the Liquefaction Projects that is not contracted by CCL or SPL through our integrated marketing function, Cheniere Marketing. Cheniere Marketing has a portfolio of long-, medium- and short-term SPAs to deliver commercial LNG cargoes to locations worldwide. These volumes are expected to be primarily sourced by LNG produced by the Liquefaction Projects but supplemented by volumes procured from other locations worldwide, as needed.
As of December 31, 2022, Cheniere Marketing has sold or has options to sell approximately 6,529 TBtu of LNG to be delivered to third party customers between 2023 and 2043, including 6,393 TBtu from long-term executed contracts that are included in the Future Sources of Liquidity under Executed Contracts table above. The cargoes have been sold either on a FOB basis (delivered to the customer at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal or the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal, as applicable) or a DAT basis (delivered to the customer at their specified LNG receiving terminal).
Regasification Revenues
SPLNG has a long-term, third party TUA with TotalEnergies Gas & Power North America, Inc. (“TotalEnergies”) under which TotalEnergies is required to pay fixed monthly fees, whether or not it uses the approximately 1 Bcf/d of the regasification capacity it has reserved at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal. TotalEnergies is obligated to make monthly capacity payments to SPLNG aggregating approximately $125 million annually, prior to inflation adjustments, for 20 years that commenced in 2009. Total S.A. has guaranteed TotalEnergies’ obligations under its TUA up to $2.5 billion, subject to certain exceptions.
SPLNG has also entered into a TUA with SPL to reserve approximately 2 Bcf/d of the regasification capacity at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal. SPL is obligated to make monthly capacity payments to SPLNG aggregating approximately $250 million annually, prior to inflation adjustments, continuing until at least May 2036. SPL entered into a partial TUA assignment agreement with TotalEnergies, whereby SPL gained access to substantially all of TotalEnergies’ capacity and other services provided under TotalEnergies’ TUA with SPLNG that started in 2019. Notwithstanding any arrangements between TotalEnergies and SPL, payments required to be made by TotalEnergies to SPLNG will continue to be made by TotalEnergies to SPLNG in accordance with its TUA. Payments made by SPL to TotalEnergies under this partial TUA assignment agreement are included in other purchase obligations in the Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures under Executed Contracts table below. Full discussion of the partial TUA assignment and SPLNG’s revenues under the TUA agreements can be found in Note 13—Revenues of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Financial Derivatives
Cheniere Marketing has entered into financial derivatives to minimize future cash flow variability associated with Cheniere Marketing’s LNG agreements. Full discussion of financial derivatives can be found in Note 7—Derivative Instruments of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Additional Future Sources of Liquidity
Available Commitments under Credit Facilities
As of December 31, 2022, we had $7.5 billion in available commitments under our credit facilities, subject to compliance with the applicable covenants, to potentially meet liquidity needs. Our credit facilities mature between 2024 and 2029.
Uncontracted Liquefaction Supply
We expect a portion of total production capacity from the Liquefaction Projects that has not yet been contracted under executed agreements as of December 31, 2022 to be available for Cheniere Marketing to market to additional LNG customers. Debottlenecking opportunities and other optimization projects have led to increased run-rate production levels which has increased the production capacity available for Cheniere Marketing to the extent it has not already been contracted to other customers.
Financially Disciplined Growth
Our significant land positions at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal provide potential development and investment opportunities for further liquefaction capacity expansion at strategically advantaged locations with proximity to pipeline infrastructure and resources. In September 2022, certain of our subsidiaries entered the pre-filing review process with the FERC under the National Environmental Policy Act for CCL Midscale Trains 8 and 9. The development of these sites or other projects, including infrastructure projects in support of natural gas supply and LNG demand, will require, among other things, acceptable commercial and financing arrangements before we make a positive FID.
Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for operations and capital expenditures pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures under executed contracts as of December 31, 2022 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2024 - 2027 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (2): | |||||||||||||||
| Natural gas supply agreements (3) | $ | 10.5 | $ | 26.2 | $ | 29.2 | $ | 65.9 | |||||||
| Natural gas transportation and storage service agreements (4) | 0.5 | 2.1 | 5.4 | 8.0 | |||||||||||
| Capital expenditures | 1.0 | 3.1 | — | 4.1 | |||||||||||
| Other purchase obligations (5) | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.4 | |||||||||||
| Leases (6) | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 7.1 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 13.0 | $ | 35.0 | $ | 38.5 | $ | 86.5 |
(1)Agreements in force as of December 31, 2022 that have terms dependent on project milestone dates are based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2022. The estimates above reflect management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2022. Estimates are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially as a result of a variety of factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K.
(2)Purchase obligations consist of agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding that specify fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased. We include contracts for which we have an early termination option if the option is not currently expected to be exercised. We include contracts with unsatisfied conditions precedent if the conditions are currently expected to be met.
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(3)Pricing of natural gas supply agreements is based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2022. Pricing of IPM agreements is based on global gas market prices less fixed liquefaction fees and certain costs incurred by us. Includes $0.4 billion under natural gas supply agreements with unsatisfied conditions precedent.
(4)Includes $1.4 billion of purchase obligations to related parties under the natural gas transportation and storage service agreements. Also includes $1.2 billion under natural gas transportation and storage service agreements with unsatisfied conditions precedent.
(5)Other purchase obligations include payments under SPL’s partial TUA assignment agreement with TotalEnergies, as discussed in Regasification Revenues above.
(6)Leases include payments under (1) operating leases, (2) finance leases, (3) short-term leases and (4) vessel time charters that were executed as of December 31, 2022 but will commence in the future. Certain of our leases also contain variable payments, such as inflation, which are not included above unless the contract terms require the payment of a fixed amount that is unavoidable. Payments during renewal options that are exercisable at our sole discretion are included only to the extent that the option is believed to be reasonably certain to be exercised.
Natural Gas Supply, Transportation and Storage Service Agreements
We have secured natural gas feedstock for the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal through long-term natural gas supply and IPM agreements. Under our IPM agreements, we pay for natural gas feedstock based on global gas market prices less fixed liquefaction fees and certain costs incurred by us. While IPM agreements are not revenue contracts for accounting purposes, the payment structure for the purchase of natural gas under the IPM agreements generates a take-or-pay style fixed liquefaction fee, assuming that LNG produced from the natural gas feedstock is subsequently sold at a price approximating the global LNG market price paid for the natural gas feedstock purchase.
As of December 31, 2022, we have secured approximately 86% of the natural gas supply required to support the total forecasted production capacity of the Liquefaction Projects during 2023. Natural gas supply secured decreases as a percentage of forecasted production capacity beyond 2023. Natural gas supply is generally secured on an indexed pricing basis plus a fixed fee, with title transfer occurring upon receipt of the commodity. As further described in the LNG Revenues section above, the pricing structure of our SPA arrangements with our customers incorporates a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub, which is paid upon delivery, thus limiting our net exposure to future increases in natural gas prices. Inclusive of amounts under contracts with unsatisfied conditions precedent as of December 31, 2022, we have secured up to 14,094 TBtu of natural gas feedstock through agreements with remaining terms that range up to 15 years. A discussion of our natural gas supply and IPM agreements can be found in Note 7—Derivative Instruments of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
To ensure that we are able to transport natural gas feedstock to the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal, we have entered into transportation precedent and other agreements to secure firm pipeline transportation capacity from pipeline companies. We have also entered into firm storage services agreements with third parties to assist in managing variability in natural gas needs for the Liquefaction Projects.
Capital Expenditures
We enter into lump sum turnkey contracts with third party contractors for the EPC of our Liquefaction Projects. The future capital expenditures included in the table above primarily consist of fixed costs under the Bechtel EPC contract for the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, in which Bechtel charges a lump sum and generally bares project cost, schedule and performance risks unless certain specified events occurred, in which case Bechtel causes us to enter into a change order, or we agree with Bechtel to a change order. Additionally, we expect to incur ongoing capital expenditures to maintain our facilities and other assets, as well as to optimize our existing assets and purchase new assets that are intended to grow our productive capacity. See Financially Disciplined Growth section for further discussion.
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Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project
The following table summarizes the project completion and construction status of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project as of January 31, 2023:
| Overall project completion percentage | 24.5% | |
|---|---|---|
| Completion percentage of: | ||
| Engineering | 41.3% | |
| Procurement | 36.9% | |
| Subcontract work | 29.5% | |
| Construction | 2.2% | |
| Date of expected substantial completion | 2H 2025 - 1H 2027 |
Leases
Our obligations under our lease arrangements primarily consist of LNG vessel time charters with terms of up to 15 years to ensure delivery of cargoes sold on a DAT basis. We have also entered into leases for the use of tug vessels, office space and facilities and land sites. A discussion of our lease obligations can be found in Note 12—Leases of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Additional Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures
Corporate Activities
We are required to maintain corporate and general and administrative functions to serve our business activities. During the year ended December 31, 2022, selling, general and administrative expense was $0.4 billion, a portion of which was related to leases for office space, which is included in the table of cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures under executed contracts above. Our full-time employee headcount was 1,551 as of December 31, 2022.
Financially Disciplined Growth
The FID of any expansion projects will result in additional cash requirements to fund the construction and operations of such projects in excess of our current contractual obligations under executed contracts discussed above. However, in connection with reaching FID, we may be required to secure financing to meet the cash needs that such project will initially require, in support of commercializing the project.
Beyond the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, our significant land positions at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal provide potential development and investment opportunities for further liquefaction capacity expansion at strategically advantaged locations with proximity to pipeline infrastructure and resources. We expect that any potential future expansion at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal would increase cash requirements to support expanded operations, although expansion could be designed to leverage shared infrastructure to reduce the incremental costs of any potential expansion.
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Future Cash Requirements for Financing under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for financing pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for financing under executed contracts as of December 31, 2022 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2024 - 2027 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Debt (2) | $ | 0.5 | $ | 10.1 | $ | 14.5 | $ | 25.1 | |||||||
| Interest payments (2) | 1.2 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 7.0 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 1.7 | $ | 13.9 | $ | 16.5 | $ | 32.1 |
(1)The estimates above reflect management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2022. Estimates are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially as a result of a variety of factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K.
(2)Debt and interest payments are based on the total debt balance, scheduled contractual maturities and fixed or estimated forward interest rates in effect at December 31, 2022, excluding debt and interest payments on the 2024 CCH Senior Notes which are based on the redemption payment made January 5, 2023. In December 2022, we issued a notice of redemption for the remaining aggregate principal amount outstanding of the 2024 CCH Senior Notes. Other than debt and interest payments on the 2024 CCH Senior Notes, debt and interest payments do not contemplate repurchases, repayments and retirements that we expect to make prior to contractual maturity. See further discussion in Note 11—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Debt
As of December 31, 2022, our debt complex was comprised of senior notes with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $25.1 billion and credit facilities with no outstanding balances. As of December 31, 2022, each of our issuers was in compliance with all covenants related to their respective debt agreements. Further discussion of our debt obligations, including the restrictions imposed by these arrangements, can be found in Note 11—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Interest
As of December 31, 2022, our senior notes had a weighted average contractual interest rate of 4.76%. We have various credit facilities indexed to LIBOR, which is expected to be phased out in 2023. To date, we have amended certain of our credit facilities to incorporate a replacement rate or a fallback replacement rate indexed to SOFR as a result of the expected LIBOR transition. We intend to continue working with our lenders to pursue amendments to our remaining debt agreements that are currently indexed to LIBOR. Undrawn commitments under our credit facilities are subject to commitment fees ranging from 0.10% to 0.638%, subject to change based on the applicable entity’s credit rating. Issued letters of credit under our credit facilities are subject to letter of credit fees ranging from 1.25% to 1.625%. We had $506 million aggregate amount of issued letters of credit under our credit facilities as of December 31, 2022.
Additional Future Cash Requirements for Financing
CQP Distribution
CQP is required by its partnership agreement to, within 45 days after the end of each quarter, distribute to unitholders all available cash at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. We own a 48.6% limited partner interest in CQP in the form of 239.9 million common units, with the remaining non-controlling limited partner interest held by Blackstone Inc., Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and the public. During the year ended December 31, 2022, CQP paid $947 million in distributions to its non-controlling interest.
Revised Capital Allocation Plan
As described in Overview of Significant Events, in September 2022, our Board approved a revised comprehensive long-term capital allocation plan. Pursuant to the revised capital allocation plan, on September 12, 2022 our Board authorized an
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increase in the existing share repurchase program by $4.0 billion for an additional three years, beginning on October 1, 2022. As of December 31, 2022, we had up to $3.6 billion available under the share repurchase program. The timing and amount of any shares of our common stock that are repurchased under the share repurchase program will be determined by management based on market conditions and other factors. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we repurchased a total of 9.3 million shares of our common stock for $1.4 billion at a weighted average price per share of $146.88. A discussion of our share repurchase program can be found in Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholders Matters and Issuer Purchase of Equity Securities.
A further aspect of our revised capital allocation plan is to lower our long-term leverage target through debt paydown to approximately 4x, which may involve the repayment, redemption or repurchase, on the open market or otherwise, of our indebtedness, including senior notes of SPL, CQP, CCH and Cheniere. The timing and amount of any paydown of our indebtedness will be determined by management based on market conditions and other factors. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we used $5.6 billion of available cash to reduce our outstanding indebtedness, of which $5.4 billion was the redemption or prepayment of indebtedness pursuant to our capital allocation plan.
The revised capital allocation plan also includes a targeted annual dividend growth rate of approximately 10% through Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project construction. On September 12, 2022, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.395 per common share, which represented a 20% increase from the previous quarterly dividend. On January 27, 2023, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.395 per share of common stock that is payable on February 27, 2023 to stockholders of record as of February 7, 2023.
Financially Disciplined Growth
To the extent that liquefaction capacity at the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal and the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal is expanded beyond the Liquefaction Projects and the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, such as CCL Midscale Trains 8 and 9, we expect that additional financing would be used to fund construction of the expansion.
Sources and Uses of Cash
The following table summarizes the sources and uses of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents (in millions). The table presents capital expenditures on a cash basis; therefore, these amounts differ from the amounts of capital expenditures, including accruals, which are referred to elsewhere in this report. Additional discussion of these items follows the table.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 10,523 | $ | 2,469 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (1,844) | (912) | ||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (8,014) | (1,817) | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents | 5 | — | ||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents | $ | 670 | $ | (260) |
Operating Cash Flows
Our operating cash net inflows during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were $10.5 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively. The $8.1 billion increase was primarily related to increased cash receipts from the sale of LNG cargoes due to higher revenue per MMBtu and, to a lesser extent, higher volume of LNG delivered. Additionally, a portion of the increase was related to the receipt of the lump sum Termination Fee from Chevron related to the Termination Agreement, as further described in Overview of Significant Events, of which $796 million of cash inflows were allocable to the termination of the TUA, while an offsetting $31 million was recognized as a loss on extinguishment of debt allocable to a premium paid to Chevron to terminate a revenue sharing arrangement with them that was accounted for as debt, as discussed below under Financing Cash Flows. Partially offsetting these operating cash inflows were higher operating cash outflows primarily due to higher natural gas feedstock costs and lower contribution from certain portfolio optimization activities.
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On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed H.R. 5376 (P.L. 117-169), commonly referred to as the Inflation Reduction Act, into law, which includes the implementation of a new 15% corporate alternative minimum tax (the “CAMT”) effective in 2023 on the adjusted financial statement income of certain large corporations, among other provisions. We have elected to account for the effects of CAMT on deferred tax assets, carryforwards, and tax credits in the period they arise.
Investing Cash Flows
Our investing cash net outflows in both years primarily were for the construction costs for the Liquefaction Projects. The $932 million increase in 2022 compared to 2021 was primarily due to spend during the year ended December 31, 2022 related to construction work performed by Bechtel for the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project, partially offset by a decrease in spend due to the completion of Train 6 of the SPL Project in February 2022, which was under construction throughout 2021. We expect our capital expenditures to increase in future periods as construction work progresses on the Corpus Christi Stage 3 Project following our issuance of full notice to proceed to Bechtel in June 2022.
Financing Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our financing activities (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||
| Proceeds from issuances of debt | $ | 1,575 | $ | 5,911 | |||
| Redemptions and repayments of debt | (6,771) | (6,810) | |||||
| Distributions to non-controlling interest | (947) | (649) | |||||
| Repurchase of common stock | (1,373) | (9) | |||||
| Dividends to stockholders | (349) | (85) | |||||
| Other, net | (149) | (175) | |||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (8,014) | $ | (1,817) |
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had total debt issuances of $1.6 billion and $5.9 billion, respectively. The proceeds from the borrowings during the year ended December 31, 2022, together with cash on hand, were used to pay down $6.8 billion of outstanding indebtedness, which included $965 million of debt repurchases on the open market, and the remaining associated with redemptions of our outstanding notes or paydown of our credit facilities. The proceeds from the borrowings during year ended December 31, 2021, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem or repurchase $6.8 billion of outstanding indebtedness, entirely associated with redemptions of our outstanding notes or paydown of our credit facilities.
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Debt Issuances and Related Financing Costs
The following table shows the proceeds from issuances of debt, including intra-year borrowings (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||
| Proceeds from issuances of debt | |||||||
| SPL: | |||||||
| 5.900% Senior Secured Amortizing Notes due 2037 | $ | 430 | $ | — | |||
| 2037 SPL Private Placement Senior Secured Notes | 70 | 482 | |||||
| SPL Working Capital Facility | 60 | — | |||||
| CQP: | |||||||
| 4.000% Senior Notes due 2031 | — | 1,500 | |||||
| 3.25% Senior Notes due 2032 | — | 1,200 | |||||
| CCH: | |||||||
| 2.742% Senior Notes due 2029 | — | 750 | |||||
| CCH Credit Facility | 440 | — | |||||
| CCH Working Capital Facility | — | 400 | |||||
| Cheniere: | |||||||
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | 575 | 1,359 | |||||
| Cheniere’s term loan facility (the “Cheniere Term Loan Facility”) | — | 220 | |||||
| Total proceeds from issuances of debt | $ | 1,575 | $ | 5,911 |
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we paid debt issuance costs and other financing costs of $51 million and $53 million, respectively, included in other, net in the Financing Cash Flows table above, related to the debt issuances above and amendment of credit facilities during the respective periods.
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Debt Redemptions, Repayments and Repurchases and Related Modification or Extinguishment Costs
The following table shows the redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt, including intra-year repayments (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||
| Redemption, repayments and repurchases of debt | |||||||
| SPL: | |||||||
| 2022 SPL Senior Notes | $ | — | $ | (1,000) | |||
| 2023 SPL Senior Notes | (1,500) | — | |||||
| SPL Working Capital Facility | (60) | — | |||||
| CQP: | |||||||
| 5.250% Senior Notes due 2025 | — | (1,500) | |||||
| 5.625% Senior Notes due 2026 | — | (1,100) | |||||
| CCH: | |||||||
| CCH Credit Facility | (2,169) | (898) | |||||
| CCH Working Capital Facility | (250) | (290) | |||||
| 2024 CCH Senior Notes | (752) | — | |||||
| 5.625% Senior Notes due 2025 | (9) | ||||||
| 5.125% Senior Notes due 2027 | (230) | — | |||||
| 3.700% Senior Notes due 2029 | (138) | — | |||||
| 3.751% weighted average Senior Notes rate due 2039 | (88) | — | |||||
| Cheniere: | |||||||
| 4.875% Cheniere Convertible Senior Notes due 2021 | — | (295) | |||||
| 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2045 | (500) | — | |||||
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | (575) | (1,359) | |||||
| 4.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 | (500) | — | |||||
| Cheniere Term Loan Facility | — | (368) | |||||
| Total redemptions, repayments and repurchases of debt | $ | (6,771) | $ | (6,810) |
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we paid debt modification or extinguishment costs of $3 million and $82 million, respectively, included in other, net in the Financing Cash Flows table above, related to these redemptions and repayments. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2022, we paid $31 million associated with a premium paid to terminate a revenue sharing arrangement under the Termination Agreement with Chevron.
Non-Controlling Interest Distributions
We own a 48.6% limited partner interest in CQP with the remaining non-controlling limited partner interest held by Blackstone Inc., Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and the public. CQP paid distributions of $947 million and $649 million during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, to non-controlling interests.
Repurchase of Common Stock
The following table presents information with respect to repurchases of common stock (in millions, except per share data):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||
| Aggregate common stock repurchased | 9.35 | 0.10 | ||||||||
| Weighted average price paid per share | $ | 146.88 | $ | 87.32 | ||||||
| Total amount paid | $ | 1,373 | $ | 9 |
As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately $3.6 billion remaining under our share repurchase program.
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Cash Dividends to Stockholders
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we paid aggregate dividends of $1.385 per share of common stock, for a total of $349 million paid to common stockholders. We paid dividends of $0.33 per share of common stock, for a total of $85 million during the year ended December 31, 2021.
On January 27, 2023, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.395 per share of common stock that is payable on February 27, 2023 to stockholders of record as of February 7, 2023.
Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. Management evaluates its estimates and related assumptions regularly, including those related to the valuation of derivative instruments. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised estimates, and actual results may differ from these estimates. Management considers the following to be its most critical accounting estimates that involve significant judgment.
Fair Value of Level 3 Physical Liquefaction Supply Derivatives
All derivative instruments are recorded at fair value, other than certain derivatives for which we have elected to apply accrual accounting, as described in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. We record changes in the fair value of our derivative positions through earnings, based on the value for which the derivative instrument could be exchanged between willing parties. Valuation of our physical liquefaction supply derivative contracts is often developed through the use of internal models which includes significant unobservable inputs representing Level 3 fair value measurements as further described in Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. In instances where observable data is unavailable, consideration is given to the assumptions that market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability. This includes assumptions about market risks, such as future prices of energy units for unobservable periods, liquidity and adjustments for transportation prices, and associated events deriving fair value including, but not limited to, evaluation of whether the respective market exists from the perspective of market participants as infrastructure is developed.
Additionally, the valuation of certain physical liquefaction supply derivatives requires significant judgment in estimating underlying forward commodity curves due to periods of unobservability or limited liquidity. Such valuations are more susceptible to variability particularly when markets are volatile. Provided below are the changes in fair value from valuation of instruments valued through the use of internal models which incorporate significant unobservable inputs for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (in millions), which entirely consisted of physical liquefaction supply derivatives. The changes in fair value shown are limited to instruments still held at the end of each respective period.
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | ||||||
| Unfavorable changes in fair value relating to instruments still held at the end of the period | $ | (6,493) | $ | (4,305) |
The unfavorable changes in fair value on instruments held at the end of both years is primarily attributed to significant appreciation in estimated forward international LNG commodity curves on our IPM agreements during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
The estimated fair value of level 3 derivatives recognized in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 amounted to a liability of $9.9 billion and $4.0 billion, respectively, consisting entirely of physical liquefaction supply derivatives.
The ultimate fair value of our derivative instruments is uncertain, and we believe that it is reasonably possible that a material change in the estimated fair value could occur in the near future, particularly as it relates to commodity prices given the level of volatility in the current year. See Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk for further analysis of the sensitivity of the fair value of our derivatives to hypothetical changes in underlying prices.
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Recent Accounting Standards
For a summary of recently issued accounting standards, see Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0000003570-22-000024.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Introduction
The following discussion and analysis presents management’s view of our business, financial condition and overall performance and should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. This information is intended to provide investors with an understanding of our past performance, current financial condition and outlook for the future. Discussion of 2019 items and variance drivers between the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to December 31, 2019 are not included herein, and can be found in “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.
Our discussion and analysis includes the following subjects:
•Overview
•Overview of Significant Events
•Market Environment
•Results of Operations
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
•Recent Accounting Standards
Overview
We are an energy infrastructure company primarily engaged in LNG-related businesses. We provide clean, secure and affordable LNG to integrated energy companies, utilities and energy trading companies around the world. We operate two natural gas liquefaction and export facilities at Sabine Pass, Louisiana and near Corpus Christi, Texas (respectively, the “Sabine Pass LNG Terminal” and “Corpus Christi LNG Terminal”) with a total of nine operational natural gas liquefaction Trains, regasification facilities at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal and pipelines that interconnect our facilities to several interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines (the SPL Project and CCL Project, respectively, and collectively, the “Liquefaction Projects”). We are also developing an expansion of the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal. For further discussion of our business, see Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties.
Our long-term customer arrangements form the foundation of our business and provide us with significant, stable, long-term cash flows. We have contracted approximately 95% of the total production capacity from the Liquefaction Projects, including those contracts executed to support the expansion of the Corpus Christi LNG terminal adjacent to the CCL Project (“Corpus Christi Stage 3”). Excluding contracts with terms less than 10 years, our SPAs and IPM agreements had approximately 17 years of weighted average remaining life. The majority of our contracts are fixed-priced, long-term SPAs consisting of a fixed fee per MMBtu of LNG plus a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG, with the variable fees generally structured to cover the cost of natural gas purchases and transportation and liquefaction fuel to produce LNG, thus limiting our exposure to fluctuations in U.S. natural gas prices. During 2021, we continued to grow our SPA portfolio, and we believe that continued global demand for natural gas and LNG, as further described in Items 1. and 2. Business and Properties—Market Factors and Competition, will provide a foundation for additional growth in our portfolio of customer contracts in the future. The continued strength and stability of our long-term cash flows served as the foundation of our long-term capital allocation plan announced in 2021, which includes strengthening of balance sheet, capital return and accretive growth priorities.
Overview of Significant Events
Our significant events since January 1, 2021 and through the filing date of this Form 10-K include the following:
Strategic
•In February 2022, CCL Stage III amended the IPM agreement previously entered into with EOG Resources, Inc. (“EOG”), increasing the volume and term of natural gas supply from 140,000 MMBtu per day for 10 years, to 420,000
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MMBtu per day for 15 years, with pricing continuing to be based on the Platts Japan Korea Marker (“JKM”). Under the amended IPM agreement, supply is targeted to commence upon completion of Trains 1, 4 and 5 of Corpus Christi Stage 3. In addition, the previously executed gas supply agreement (“GSA”), under which EOG sells 300,000 MMBtu per day to CCL Stage III at a price indexed to Henry Hub, has been extended by 5 years, resulting in a 15 year term that is expected to commence upon start-up of the amended IPM agreement.
•In September 2021, our board of directors (our “Board”) approved a long-term capital allocation plan which includes (1) the repurchase, repayment or retirement of approximately $1.0 billion of existing indebtedness of the Company each year through 2024 with the intent of achieving consolidated investment grade credit metrics, (2) initiation of a quarterly dividend for third quarter 2021 at $0.33 per share and (3) the authorization of a reset in the share repurchase program to $1.0 billion, inclusive of any amounts remaining under the previous authorization as of September 30, 2021, for a three-year term effective October 1, 2021.
•In July 2021, CCL Stage III entered into an IPM agreement with Tourmaline Oil Marketing Corp., a subsidiary of Tourmaline Oil Corp., to purchase 140,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas at a price based on JKM, for a term of approximately 15 years beginning in early 2023.
•In July 2021, the Board appointed Mses. Patricia K. Collawn and Lorraine Mitchelmore to serve as members of the Board. Ms. Collawn was appointed to the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee of the Board, and Ms. Mitchelmore was appointed to the Audit Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board.
•Our subsidiaries entered into SPAs with multiple counterparties for portfolio volumes aggregating approximately 67 million tonnes of LNG to be delivered between 2021 and 2042, inclusive of long-term SPAs entered into with ENN LNG (Singapore) Pte Ltd., a subsidiary of Glencore plc and Sinochem Group Co., Ltd.
Operational
•As of February 18, 2022, over 2,000 cumulative LNG cargoes totaling approximately 140 million tonnes of LNG have been produced, loaded and exported from the Liquefaction Projects.
•On February 4, 2022, substantial completion of Train 6 of the SPL Project was achieved.
•On March 26, 2021, substantial completion of Train 3 of the CCL Project was achieved.
Financial
•We completed the following debt transactions:
◦In December 2021, we issued a notice of redemption for all $625 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of our 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2045 (the “2045 Cheniere Convertible Senior Notes”), which were redeemed on January 5, 2022.
◦In December 2021, SPL issued Senior Secured Notes due 2037 on a private placement basis for an aggregate principal amount of approximately $482 million (the “2037 SPL Private Placement Senior Secured Notes”). The 2037 SPL Private Placement Senior Secured Notes are fully amortizing, with a weighted average life of over 10 years and a weighted average interest rate of 3.07%.
◦In September 2021, CQP issued an aggregate principal amount of $1.2 billion of 3.25% Senior Notes due 2032 (the “2032 CQP Senior Notes”).
◦The proceeds, net of related fees, costs and expenses (“net proceeds”) of the 2032 CQP Senior Notes were used to redeem a portion of the outstanding $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount of the 5.625% Senior Notes due 2026 (the “2026 CQP Senior Notes”). The remaining net proceeds of the 2032 CQP Senior Notes, along with the net proceeds of the 2037 SPL Private Placement Senior Secured Notes and cash on hand, were used to redeem the outstanding $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of the 6.25% Senior Secured Notes due 2022 (the “2022 SPL Senior Notes”).
◦In October 2021, we amended and restated our $1.25 billion Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility (“Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility”) to, among other things, (1) extend the maturity through October 2026, (2) reduce the interest rate and commitment fees, which can be further reduced based on our credit ratings and may be positively or negatively adjusted up to five basis points on the interest rate and up to one basis point on the
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commitment fees based on the achievement of defined ESG milestones and (3) make certain other changes to the terms and conditions of the existing revolving credit facility.
◦In August 2021, CCH issued an aggregate principal amount of $750 million of fully amortizing 2.742% Senior Secured Notes due 2039 (the “2.742% CCH Senior Secured Notes”). The net proceeds of the 2.742% CCH Senior Secured Notes were used to prepay a portion of the principal amount outstanding under CCH’s amended and restated term loan credit facility (the “CCH Credit Facility”).
◦In March 2021, CQP issued an aggregate principal amount of approximately $1.5 billion of 4.000% Senior Notes due 2031 (the “2031 CQP Senior Notes”). The net proceeds of the 2031 CQP Senior Notes, along with cash on hand, were used to redeem the 5.250% Senior Notes due 2025.
•In line with our capital allocation plan, during the year ended December 31, 2021, on a consolidated basis, we reduced our long-term indebtedness by $1.2 billion, extended the weighted-average maturity of our outstanding debt by over one year and lowered our weighted average borrowing rate.
•In April 2021, S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) changed the outlook of Cheniere and CQP’s ratings to positive from negative, and in February 2022, upgraded its issuer credit ratings of Cheniere and CQP from BB to BB+.
•In February 2021, Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”) changed the outlook of SPL’s senior secured notes rating to positive from stable and the outlook of CQP’s long-term issuer default rating and senior unsecured notes rating to positive from stable.
•In July 2021, we recommenced share repurchase activities, with 101,944 shares repurchased during the year ended December 31, 2021 for $9 million.
•In January 2021, the term commenced on Cheniere Marketing International LLP’s 25 year SPA with CPC Corporation, Taiwan.
Market Environment
The LNG market in 2021 saw unprecedented price increases across all natural gas and LNG benchmarks. Colder than normal temperatures early in the year, concerns over low natural gas and LNG inventories, low additional LNG supply availability and forecasts of a cold 2021/2022 winter in Europe and Asia increased price volatility and supported a run-up in natural gas and LNG prices. These conditions were exacerbated by rising coal and carbon prices in Europe, persistent under-performance from some non-US LNG supply projects and reduced Russian pipe exports to Europe, precipitating the early stages of a price-based energy crisis in Europe.
High demand for LNG during the recovery from the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in intense competition for supplies between the Atlantic and Pacific basins. Global LNG demand grew by about approximately 5% from the comparable 2020 period, adding an additional 18 mtpa to the overall market. A robust economic recovery in China powered an 8% increase in Asia’s LNG demand of approximately 19.5 million tonnes from the comparable 2020 period. This led to competition for supplies between Asia, Europe and Latin America, exposing the supply constraints that the industry has had while emerging from the pandemic. In turn, this drove international natural gas and LNG prices higher and widened the price spreads between the U.S. and other parts of the world. As an example, the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (“TTF”) monthly settlement prices averaged $14.4/MMBtu in 2021, approximately 375% higher than the $3.0/MMBtu average in 2020, and the TTF monthly settlement prices averaged $28.9/MMBtu in the fourth quarter of 2021, approximately 512% higher than the $4.72/MMBtu average in the fourth quarter of 2020. Similarly, the 2021 average settlement price for the JKM increased 292% year-over-year to an average of $15.0/MMBtu in 2021, and the fourth quarter of 2021 average settlement price for the JKM increased over 412% year-over-year to an average of $27.9/MMBtu. This extreme price increase triggered a strong supply response from the U.S., which played a significant role in balancing the global LNG market. The U.S. exported 70 million tonnes of LNG in 2021, a gain of approximately 49% from the comparable 2020 period, as the market continued to pull on supplies from our facilities and those of our competitors. Exports from our Liquefaction Projects reached 39 million tonnes in aggregate, representing over 55% of the gain in the U.S. total over the same period.
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Results of Operations
The following charts summarize the total revenues and total LNG volumes loaded from our Liquefaction Projects (including both operational and commissioning volumes) during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020:
The following table summarizes the volumes of operational and commissioning LNG cargoes that were loaded from the Liquefaction Projects, which were recognized on our Consolidated Financial Statements during the year ended December 31, 2021:
| Year Ended December 31, 2021 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in TBtu) | Operational | Commissioning | ||||||
| Volumes loaded during the current period | 1,975 | 40 | ||||||
| Volumes loaded during the prior period but recognized during the current period | 26 | 3 | ||||||
| Less: volumes loaded during the current period and in transit at the end of the period | (49) | (1) | ||||||
| Total volumes recognized in the current period | 1,952 | 42 |
Net loss attributable to common stockholders
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions, except per share data) | 2021 | 2020 | Variance ($) | |||||||||||||||
| Net loss attributable to common stockholders | $ | (2,343) | $ | (85) | $ | (2,258) | ||||||||||||
| Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders—basic and diluted | (9.25) | (0.34) | (8.91) |
Net loss attributable to common stockholders increased by $2.3 billion during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the comparable period in 2020, primarily due to the increase in derivative losses from changes in fair value and settlements of $5.8 billion (pre-tax and excluding the impact of non-controlling interest) between the periods as further described below and non-recurrence of $969 million in revenues recognized on LNG cargoes for which customers notified us that they would not take delivery. This impact was partially offset by increased margin on LNG delivered as a result of increases in both volume delivered and gross margin on LNG delivered per MMBtu during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the comparable period in 2020, as well as a tax benefit recorded during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Substantially all derivative losses relate to the use of commodity derivative instruments indexed to international LNG prices, primarily related to our IPM agreements. While operationally we utilize commodity derivatives to mitigate price volatility for commodities procured or sold over a period of time, as a result of significant appreciation in forward international LNG commodity curves during the year ended December 31, 2021, we recognized $4.5 billion of non-cash unfavorable changes in fair value attributed to positions indexed to such prices (pre-tax and excluding the impact of non-controlling interest).
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Derivative instruments, which in addition to managing exposure to commodity-related marketing and price risks are utilized to manage exposure to changing interest rates and foreign exchange volatility, are reported at fair value on our Consolidated Financial Statements. For commodity derivative instruments related to our IPM agreements, the underlying transactions being economically hedged are accounted for under the accrual method of accounting, whereby revenues and expenses are recognized only upon delivery, receipt or realization of the underlying transaction. Because the recognition of derivative instruments at fair value has the effect of recognizing gains or losses relating to future period exposure, and given the significant volumes, long-term duration and volatility in price basis for certain of our derivative contracts, use of derivative instruments may result in continued volatility of our results of operations based on changes in market pricing, counterparty credit risk and other relevant factors, notwithstanding the operational intent to mitigate risk exposure over time.
Revenues
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions) | 2021 | 2020 | Variance ($) | |||||||||||||||
| LNG revenues | $ | 15,395 | $ | 8,924 | $ | 6,471 | ||||||||||||
| Regasification revenues | 269 | 269 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Other revenues | 200 | 165 | 35 | |||||||||||||||
| Total revenues | $ | 15,864 | $ | 9,358 | $ | 6,506 |
Total revenues increased during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the comparable period in 2020, primarily as a result of increased revenues per MMBtu and higher volume of LNG delivered between the periods. Revenues per MMBtu of LNG were higher due to improved market prices recognized by our integrated marketing function as a result of appreciation in international LNG prices and increases in Henry Hub prices, as well as variable fees that are received in addition to fixed fees when the customers take delivery of scheduled cargoes as opposed to exercising their contractual right to not take delivery. The volume of LNG delivered between the periods increased due to the non-recurrence of notification by our customers to not take delivery of scheduled LNG cargoes during the year ended December 31, 2021 and as a result of production from Train 3 of the CCL Project, which achieved substantial completion on March 26, 2021.
Prior to substantial completion of a Train, amounts received from the sale of commissioning cargoes from that Train are offset against LNG terminal construction-in-process, because these amounts are earned or loaded during the testing phase for the construction of that Train. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we realized offsets to LNG terminal costs of $319 million and $19 million, corresponding to 42 TBtu and 3 TBtu respectively, that were related to the sale of commissioning cargoes from Train 3 of the CCL Project and Train 6 of the SPL Project.
Also included in LNG revenues are sales of certain unutilized natural gas procured for the liquefaction process and other revenues, which was $320 million and $466 million during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Additionally, LNG revenues include gains and losses from derivative instruments, which include the realized value associated with a portion of derivative instruments that settle through physical delivery. We recognized offsets to revenues of $1.8 billion and $30 million during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, related to the gains and losses from derivative instruments due to shifts in forward commodity curves.
We expect the volume of LNG produced and available for sale to increase in the future as Train 6 of the SPL Project achieved substantial completion on February 4, 2022.
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The following table presents the components of LNG revenues and the corresponding LNG volumes delivered:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| LNG revenues (in millions): | ||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | $ | 11,990 | $ | 6,303 | ||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements | 4,361 | 802 | ||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties | 499 | 414 | ||||||||
| LNG revenues associated with cargoes not delivered per customer notification (2) | — | 969 | ||||||||
| Net derivative losses | (1,776) | (30) | ||||||||
| Other revenues | 321 | 466 | ||||||||
| Total LNG revenues | $ | 15,395 | $ | 8,924 | ||||||
| Volumes delivered as LNG revenues (in TBtu): | ||||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold under third party long-term agreements (1) | 1,608 | 1,158 | ||||||||
| LNG from the Liquefaction Projects sold by our integrated marketing function under short-term agreements | 344 | 227 | ||||||||
| LNG procured from third parties | 45 | 103 | ||||||||
| Total volumes delivered as LNG revenues | 1,997 | 1,488 |
(1)Long-term agreements include agreements with an initial tenure of 12 months or more.
(2)LNG revenues include revenues with no corresponding volumes due to revenues attributable to LNG cargoes for which customers notified us that they would not take delivery.
Operating costs and expenses
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions) | 2021 | 2020 | Variance ($) | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales | $ | 13,773 | $ | 4,161 | $ | 9,612 | ||||||||||||
| Operating and maintenance expense | 1,444 | 1,320 | 124 | |||||||||||||||
| Development expense | 7 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expense | 325 | 302 | 23 | |||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization expense | 1,011 | 932 | 79 | |||||||||||||||
| Impairment expense and loss on disposal of assets | 5 | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||
| Total operating costs and expenses | $ | 16,565 | $ | 6,727 | $ | 9,838 |
Our total operating costs and expenses increased during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the comparable period in 2020, primarily as a result of increased cost of sales. Cost of sales includes costs incurred directly for the production and delivery of LNG from the Liquefaction Projects, to the extent those costs are not utilized for the commissioning process. Cost of sales increased during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the comparable 2020 period, primarily due to increased pricing of natural gas feedstock as a result of higher U.S. natural gas prices and increased volume of LNG delivered, as well as unfavorable changes in our commodity derivatives to secure natural gas feedstock for the Liquefaction Projects driven by unfavorable shifts in international forward commodity curves, as discussed above under Net loss attributable to common stockholders. Cost of sales also includes costs associated with the sale of certain unutilized natural gas procured for the liquefaction process and a portion of derivative instruments that settle through physical delivery, port and canal fees, variable transportation and storage costs, net of margins from the sale of natural gas procured for the liquefaction process and other costs to convert natural gas into LNG.
Operating and maintenance expense primarily includes costs associated with operating and maintaining the Liquefaction Projects. During the year ended December 31, 2021, operating and maintenance expense increased from the comparable period in 2020, primarily due to increased natural gas transportation and storage capacity demand charges and increased third party service, generally as a result of an additional Train that was in operation between the periods. Operating and maintenance expense also includes insurance and regulatory and other operating costs.
Depreciation and amortization expense increased during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the comparable period in 2020 as a result of commencing operations of Train 3 of the CCL Project in March 2021.
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We expect our operating costs and expenses to generally increase as Train 6 of the SPL Project achieved substantial completion on February 4, 2022, although we expect certain costs will not proportionally increase with the number of operational Trains as cost efficiencies will be realized.
Other expense
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions) | 2021 | 2020 | Variance ($) | |||||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net of capitalized interest | $ | 1,438 | $ | 1,525 | $ | (87) | ||||||||||||
| Loss on modification or extinguishment of debt | 116 | 217 | (101) | |||||||||||||||
| Interest rate derivative loss, net | 1 | 233 | (232) | |||||||||||||||
| Other expense, net | 22 | 112 | (90) | |||||||||||||||
| Total other expense | $ | 1,577 | $ | 2,087 | $ | (510) |
Interest expense, net of capitalized interest, decreased during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the comparable 2020 period as a result of lower interest costs as a result of refinancing higher cost debt and repayment of debt in accordance with our capital allocation plan, partially offset by the portion of total interest costs that was eligible for capitalization due to the completion of construction of Train 3 of the CCL Project in March 2021. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we incurred $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion of total interest cost, respectively, of which we capitalized $166 million and $248 million, respectively, which was primarily related to interest costs incurred for the construction of the Liquefaction Projects.
Loss on modification or extinguishment of debt decreased during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the comparable period in 2020 due to a lower amount of debt that was paid down prior to their scheduled maturities between the periods, as further described in Liquidity and Capital Resources—Sources and Uses of Cash—Financing Cash Flows.
Interest rate derivative loss, net decreased during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the comparable 2020 period, primarily due to the settlement of certain outstanding derivatives in August 2020 that were in an unfavorable position and a favorable shift in the long-term forward LIBOR curve between the periods
Other expense, net decreased during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the comparable period in 2020 primarily due to lower other-than-temporary impairment losses related to our investment in Midship Holdings, LLC that were recognized between the periods. These impairment losses were partially offset by an increase in interest income earned on our cash and cash equivalents.
Income tax provision (benefit)
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions) | 2021 | 2020 | Variance | |||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes and non-controlling interest | $ | (2,278) | $ | 544 | $ | (2,822) | ||||||||||||
| Income tax provision (benefit) | $ | (713) | $ | 43 | $ | (756) | ||||||||||||
| Effective tax rate | 31.3 | % | 7.9 | % | 23.4 | % |
Our effective income tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2021 reflected a 31.3% tax benefit, compared to a 7.9% tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2020. The recorded tax benefit for 2021 was greater than the statutory income tax rate primarily due to income allocated to non-controlling interest that is not taxable to Cheniere and the partial release of the valuation allowance on our Louisiana net operating loss carryforwards. The prior year tax expense was lower than the statutory income tax rate primarily due to income allocated to non-controlling interest that is not taxable to Cheniere. See further discussion in Note 15 – Income Taxes of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Our effective tax rate is subject to variation prospectively due to variability in our pre-tax and taxable earnings and the proportion of such earnings attributable to non-controlling interests.
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Net income attributable to non-controlling interest
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions) | 2021 | 2020 | Variance ($) | |||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to non-controlling interest | $ | 778 | $ | 586 | $ | 192 |
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest increased during the year ended December 31, 2021 from the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily due to an increase in consolidated net income recognized by CQP, which increased from net income of $1.2 billion in the year ended December 31, 2020 to $1.6 billion in the year ended December 31, 2021.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following information describes our ability to generate and obtain adequate amounts of cash to meet our requirements in the short term and the long term. In the short term, we expect to meet our cash requirements using operating cash flows and available liquidity, consisting of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents and available commitments under our credit facilities. In the long term, we expect to meet our cash requirements using operating cash flows and other future potential sources of liquidity, which may include debt and equity offerings by us or our subsidiaries. The table below provides a summary of our available liquidity as of December 31, 2021 (in millions). Future material sources of liquidity are discussed below.
| December 31, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents (1) | $ | 1,404 |
| Restricted cash and cash equivalents designated for the following purposes: | ||
| SPL Project | 98 | |
| CCL Project | 44 | |
| Cash held by our subsidiaries that is restricted to Cheniere | 271 | |
| Available commitments under our credit facilities (2): | ||
| $1.2 billion Working Capital Revolving Credit and Letter of Credit Reimbursement Agreement (the “2020 SPL Working Capital Facility”) | 805 | |
| CQP Credit Facilities executed in 2019 (“2019 CQP Credit Facilities”) | 750 | |
| $1.2 billion CCH Working Capital Facility (“CCH Working Capital Facility”) | 589 | |
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | 1,250 | |
| Total available commitments under our credit facilities | 3,394 | |
| Total available liquidity | $ | 5,211 |
(1)Amounts presented include balances held by our consolidated variable interest entity, CQP, as discussed in Note 9—Non-controlling Interest and Variable Interest Entity of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. As of December 31, 2021, assets of CQP, which are included in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, included $0.9 billion of cash and cash equivalents.
(2)Available commitments represent total commitments less loans outstanding and letters of credit issued under each of our credit facilities as of December 31, 2021. See Note 11—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our credit facilities and other debt instruments.
Our liquidity position subsequent to December 31, 2021 is driven by future sources of liquidity and future cash requirements. Future sources of liquidity are expected to be composed of (1) cash receipts from executed contracts, under which we are contractually entitled to future consideration, and (2) additional sources of liquidity, from which we expect to receive cash although the cash is not underpinned by executed contracts. Future cash requirements are expected to be composed of (1) cash payments under executed contracts, under which we are contractually obligated to make payments, and (2) additional cash requirements, under which we expect to make payments although we are not contractually obligated to make the payments under executed contracts. Future sources of liquidity and future cash requirements are estimates based on management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2021.
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Although material sources of liquidity and material cash requirements are presented below from a consolidated standpoint, SPL, CQP, CCH and Cheniere operate with independent capital structures. Certain restrictions under debt and equity instruments executed by our subsidiaries limit each entity’s ability to distribute cash, including the following:
•SPL and CCH are required to deposit all cash received into restricted cash and cash equivalents accounts under certain of their debt agreements. The usage or withdrawal of such cash is restricted to the payment of liabilities related to the Liquefaction Projects and other restricted payments. The majority of the cash held by SPL and CCH that is restricted to Cheniere relates to advance funding for operation and construction of the Liquefaction Projects;
•CQP is required under its partnership agreement to distribute to unitholders all available cash on hand at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. Our 48.6% limited partner interest, 100% general partner interest and incentive distribution rights in CQP limit our right to receive cash held by CQP to the amounts specified by the provisions of CQP’s partnership agreement; and
•SPL, CQP and CCH are restricted by affirmative and negative covenants included in certain of their debt agreements in their ability to make certain payments, including distributions, unless specific requirements are satisfied.
Notwithstanding the restrictions noted above, we believe that sufficient flexibility exists within the Cheniere complex to enable each independent capital structure to meet its currently anticipated cash requirements. The sources of liquidity at SPL, CQP and CCH primarily fund the cash requirements of the respective entity, and any remaining liquidity not subject to restriction, as supplemented by liquidity provided by Cheniere Marketing, is available to enable Cheniere to meet its cash requirements.
Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity
Future Sources of Liquidity under Executed Contracts
Because many of our sales contracts have long-term durations, we are contractually entitled to significant future consideration under our SPAs and TUAs which has not yet been recognized as revenue. This future consideration is in most cases not yet legally due to us and was not reflected on our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021. In addition, a significant portion of this future consideration is subject to variability as discussed more specifically below. We anticipate that this consideration will be available to meet liquidity needs in the future. The following table summarizes our estimate of future material sources of liquidity to be received from executed contracts as of December 31, 2021 (in billions):
| Estimated Revenues Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2023 - 2026 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| LNG revenues (fixed fees) (2) | $ | 5.7 | $ | 25.0 | $ | 76.4 | $ | 107.1 | |||||||
| LNG revenues (variable fees) (2) (3) | 8.0 | 30.6 | 103.4 | 142.0 | |||||||||||
| Regasification revenues | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.9 | |||||||||||
| Financial derivatives (4) | (0.3) | — | — | (0.3) | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 13.7 | $ | 56.6 | $ | 180.4 | $ | 250.7 |
(1)Excludes contracts for which conditions precedent have not been met. Agreements in force as of December 31, 2021 that have terms dependent on project milestone dates are based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2021. The timing of revenue recognition under GAAP may not align with cash receipts, although we do not consider the timing difference to be material. The estimates above reflect management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2021. Estimates are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially as a result of a variety of factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K.
(2)LNG revenues exclude revenues from contracts with original expected durations of one year or less. Fixed fees are fees that are due to us regardless of whether a customer exercises their contractual right to not take delivery of an LNG cargo under the contract. Variable fees are receivable only in connection with LNG cargoes that are delivered.
(3)LNG revenues (variable fees) reflect the assumption that customers elect to take delivery of all cargoes made available under the contract. LNG revenues (variable fees) are based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2021. The pricing structure of our SPA arrangements with our customers incorporates a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub, which is paid upon delivery, thus limiting our net exposure to future increases in natural gas prices. Certain of our contracts contain additional variable consideration based on the
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outcome of contingent events and the movement of various indexes. We have not included such variable consideration to the extent the consideration is considered constrained due to the uncertainty of ultimate pricing and receipt.
(4)Financial derivatives include certain LNG Trading Derivatives that are recorded as LNG Revenues based on the nature and intent of the derivative instrument. Pricing of financial derivatives is based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2021.
LNG Revenues
We have contracted substantially all of the total production capacity from the Liquefaction Projects. The majority of the contracted capacity is comprised of fixed-price, long-term SPAs that SPL and CCL have executed with third parties to sell LNG from Trains 1 through 6 of the SPL Project and Trains 1 through 3 of the CCL Project. Substantially all of our contracted capacity is from contracts with terms exceeding 10 years. Excluding contracts with terms less than 10 years, our SPAs had approximately 17 years of weighted average remaining life as of December 31, 2021. Under the SPAs, the customers purchase LNG on a free on board (“FOB”) basis for a price consisting of a fixed fee per MMBtu of LNG (a portion of which is subject to annual adjustment for inflation) plus a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub. Certain customers may elect to cancel or suspend deliveries of LNG cargoes, with advance notice as governed by each respective SPA, in which case the customers would still be required to pay the fixed fee with respect to the contracted volumes that are not delivered as a result of such cancellation or suspension. The variable fees under our SPAs were generally sized with the intention to cover the costs of gas purchases and variable transportation and liquefaction fuel to produce the LNG to be sold under each such SPA. In aggregate, the annual fixed fee portion to be paid by the third-party SPA customers is approximately $2.9 billion for Trains 1 through 5 of the SPL Project. After giving effect to an SPA that Cheniere has committed to provide to SPL and upon the date of first commercial delivery of Train 6 of the SPL Project, the annual fixed fee portion to be paid by the third-party SPA customers is expected to increase to at least $3.3 billion. In aggregate, the minimum annual fixed fee portion to be paid by the third-party SPA customers is approximately $1.8 billion for Trains 1 through 3 of the CCL Project. Our long-term SPA customers consist of creditworthy counterparties, with an average credit rating of A-, A3 and A- by S&P, Moody’s Corporation and Fitch, respectively. A discussion of revenues under our SPAs can be found in Note 13—Revenues from Contracts with Customers of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
We market and sell LNG produced by the Liquefaction Projects that is not required for other customers through our integrated marketing function, Cheniere Marketing. Cheniere Marketing has a portfolio of long-, medium- and short-term SPAs to deliver commercial LNG cargoes to locations worldwide. These volumes are expected to be primarily sourced by LNG produced by the Liquefaction Projects but supplemented by volumes procured from other locations worldwide, as needed.
As of December 31, 2021, Cheniere Marketing has sold or has options to sell approximately 7,974 TBtu of LNG to be delivered to third party customers between 2022 and 2045, including 7,791 TBtu from long-term executed contracts that are included in the Future Sources of Liquidity under Executed Contracts table above. The cargoes have been sold either on a FOB basis (delivered to the customer at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal or the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal, as applicable) or a delivered at terminal (“DAT”) basis (delivered to the customer at their specified LNG receiving terminal).
Regasification Revenues
SPLNG has entered into two long-term, third party TUAs, under which SPLNG’s customers are required to pay fixed monthly fees, whether or not they use the approximately 2 Bcf/d of the regasification capacity they have reserved at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal. Total and Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (“Chevron”) are each obligated to make monthly capacity payments to SPLNG aggregating approximately $125 million annually, prior to inflation adjustments, for 20 years that commenced in 2009. Total S.A. has guaranteed Total’s obligations under its TUA up to $2.5 billion, subject to certain exceptions, and Chevron Corporation has guaranteed Chevron’s obligations under its TUA up to 80% of the fees payable by Chevron.
SPLNG has also entered into a TUA with SPL to reserve the remaining capacity at the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal. SPL is obligated to make monthly capacity payments to SPLNG aggregating approximately $250 million annually, prior to inflation adjustments, continuing until at least May 2036. SPL entered into a partial TUA assignment agreement with Total, whereby SPL gained access to substantially all of Total’s capacity and other services provided under Total’s TUA with SPLNG that started in 2019. Notwithstanding any arrangements between Total and SPL, payments required to be made by Total to SPLNG will continue to be made by Total to SPLNG in accordance with its TUA. Payments made by SPL to Total under this partial TUA assignment agreement are included in other purchase obligations in the Future Cash Requirements for Operations and
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Capital Expenditures under Executed Contracts table below. Full discussion of SPLNG’s revenues under the TUA agreements and the partial TUA assignment can be found in Note 13—Revenues from Contracts with Customers of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Financial Derivatives
Cheniere Marketing has entered into financial derivatives to minimize future cash flow variability associated with Cheniere Marketing’s LNG agreements. Full discussion of financial derivatives can be found in Note 7—Derivative Instruments of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Additional Future Sources of Liquidity
Available Commitments under Credit Facilities
As of December 31, 2021, we had $3.4 billion in available commitments under our credit facilities, subject to compliance with the applicable covenants, to potentially meet liquidity needs. Our credit facilities mature between 2023 and 2026.
Uncontracted Liquefaction Supply
We expect a portion of total production capacity from the Liquefaction Projects that has not yet been contracted under executed agreements as of December 31, 2021 to be available for Cheniere Marketing to market to additional LNG customers. Debottlenecking opportunities and other optimization projects have led to increased run-rate production levels which has increased the production capacity available for Cheniere Marketing to the extent it has not already been contracted to other customers.
Financially Disciplined Growth
We expect to reach FID on Corpus Christi Stage 3 in 2022 based on our progress in commercializing the project and the strong global LNG market. Corpus Christi Stage 3 is a shovel-ready, brownfield project with an incremental liquefaction capacity of approximately 10 mtpa. Beyond Corpus Christi Stage 3, our significant land positions at the Corpus Christi and Sabine Pass LNG terminals provide potential development and investment opportunities for further liquefaction capacity expansion at strategically advantaged locations with proximity to pipeline infrastructure and resources.
Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for operations and capital expenditures pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures under executed contracts as of December 31, 2021 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2023 - 2026 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Purchase obligations (2): | |||||||||||||||
| Natural gas supply agreements (3) | $ | 8.4 | $ | 15.3 | $ | 12.5 | $ | 36.2 | |||||||
| Natural gas transportation and storage service agreements (4) | 0.4 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 6.0 | |||||||||||
| Capital expenditures (5) | 0.2 | — | — | 0.2 | |||||||||||
| Other purchase obligations (6) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.6 | |||||||||||
| Leases (7) | 0.8 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 3.7 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 10.2 | $ | 19.5 | $ | 18.0 | $ | 47.7 |
(1)Excludes contracts for which conditions precedent have not been met. Agreements in force as of December 31, 2021 that have terms dependent on project milestone dates are based on the estimated dates as of December 31, 2021. The estimates above reflect management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2021. Estimates are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially as a result of a variety of factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K.
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(2)Purchase obligations consist of agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding that specify fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased. As project milestones and other conditions precedent are achieved, our obligations are expected to increase accordingly. We include contracts for which we have an early termination option if the option is not currently expected to be exercised.
(3)Pricing of natural gas supply agreements is based on estimated forward prices and basis spreads as of December 31, 2021. Pricing of IPM agreements is based on global gas market prices less fixed liquefaction fees and certain costs incurred by us. Does not include incremental volumes of approximately 1,790 TBtu and 548 TBtu, respectively, pursuant to an amended IPM agreement and GSA with EOG that was executed subsequent to December 31, 2021, a portion of which is conditional on the in-service date of certain asset infrastructure and substantially all of which will be delivered after 2026. See Overview of Significant Events for additional discussion.
(4)Includes $0.4 billion of purchase obligations to related parties under the natural gas transportation and storage service agreements.
(5)Capital expenditures primarily consist of costs incurred through our EPC contract with Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals, Inc. (“Bechtel”) for the engineering, procurement and construction of Train 6 of the SPL Project, which achieved substantial completion on February 4, 2022, and the third marine berth that is currently under construction.
(6)Other purchase obligations include payments under SPL’s partial TUA assignment agreement with Total, as discussed in Note 13—Revenues from Contracts with Customers of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
(7)Leases include payments under (1) operating leases, (2) finance leases, (3) short-term leases and (4) vessel time charters that were executed as of December 31, 2021 but will commence in the future. Certain of our leases also contain variable payments, such as inflation, which are not included above unless the contract terms require the payment of a fixed amount that is unavoidable. Payments during renewal options that are exercisable at our sole discretion are included only to the extent that the option is believed to be reasonably certain to be exercised.
Natural Gas Supply, Transportation and Storage Service Agreements
We have secured natural gas feedstock for the Corpus Christi and Sabine Pass LNG terminals through long-term natural gas supply and IPM agreements. Under our IPM agreements, we pay for natural gas feedstock based on global gas market prices less fixed liquefaction fees and certain costs incurred by us. While IPM agreements are not revenue contracts for accounting purposes, the payment structure for the purchase of natural gas under the IPM agreements generates a take-or-pay style fixed liquefaction fee, assuming that LNG produced from the natural gas feedstock is subsequently sold at a price approximating the global LNG market price paid for the natural gas feedstock purchase.
As of December 31, 2021, we have secured approximately 86% of the natural gas supply required to support the total forecasted production capacity of the Liquefaction Projects during 2022. Natural gas supply secured decreases as a percentage of forecasted production capacity beyond 2022. Natural gas supply is generally secured on an indexed pricing basis, with title transfer occurring upon receipt of the commodity. As further described in the LNG Revenues section above, the pricing structure of our SPA arrangements with our customers incorporates a variable fee per MMBtu of LNG generally equal to 115% of Henry Hub, which is paid upon delivery, thus limiting our net exposure to future increases in natural gas prices. Inclusive of amounts under contracts with unsatisfied conditions precedent as of December 31, 2021 and those executed by CCL Stage III, we have secured up to 10,872 TBtu of natural gas feedstock through agreements with remaining terms that range up to 15 years. A discussion of our natural gas supply and IPM agreements can be found in Note 7—Derivative Instruments of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
To ensure that we are able to transport natural gas feedstock to the Corpus Christi and Sabine Pass LNG terminals, we have entered into transportation precedent and other agreements to secure firm pipeline transportation capacity from pipeline companies. We have also entered into firm storage services agreements with third parties to assist in managing variability in natural gas needs for the Liquefaction Projects.
Capital Expenditures
We enter into lump sum turnkey contracts with third party contractors for the engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) of our Liquefaction Projects. The historical contracts have been executed with Bechtel, who has charged a lump sum for all work performed and generally bore project cost, schedule and performance risks unless certain specified events occurred,
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in which case Bechtel caused us to enter into a change order, or we agreed with Bechtel to a change order. The future capital expenditures included in the table above primarily consist of costs incurred under the Bechtel EPC contract for Train 6 of the SPL Project. The total contract price of the EPC contract for Train 6, which achieved substantial completion on February 4, 2022, and the third marine berth that is currently under construction is approximately $2.5 billion. We anticipate our future cash requirements for capital expenditures will increase in connection with the expected final investment decision (“FID”) of Corpus Christi Stage 3. See Financially Disciplined Growth section for further discussion.
Leases
Our obligations under our lease arrangements primarily consist of LNG vessel time charters with terms of up to 10 years to ensure delivery of cargoes sold on a DAT basis. We have also entered into leases for the use of tug vessels, office space and facilities and land sites. A discussion of our lease obligations can be found in Note 12—Leases of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Additional Future Cash Requirements for Operations and Capital Expenditures
Corporate Activities
We are required to maintain corporate and general and administrative functions to serve our business activities. During the year ended December 31, 2021, selling, general and administrative expense was $0.3 billion, a portion of which was related to leases for office space, which is included in the table of cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures under executed contracts above. Our full-time employee headcount was 1,550 as of January 31, 2022.
Financially Disciplined Growth
We expect to reach FID of Corpus Christi Stage 3 in 2022, which will result in additional cash requirements to fund the construction and operations of Corpus Christi Stage 3 in excess of our current contractual obligations under executed contracts discussed above. However, in connection with reaching FID, we expect to secure financing to meet the cash needs that Corpus Christi Stage 3 will initially require, in support of commercializing the project.
Beyond Corpus Christi Stage 3, our significant land positions at the Corpus Christi and Sabine Pass LNG terminals provide potential development and investment opportunities for further liquefaction capacity expansion at strategically advantaged locations with proximity to pipeline infrastructure and resources. We expect that any potential future expansion at the Corpus Christi or Sabine Pass LNG terminals would increase cash requirements to support expanded operations, although expansion could be designed to leverage shared infrastructure to reduce the incremental costs of any potential expansion.
Future Cash Requirements for Financing under Executed Contracts
We are committed to make future cash payments for financing pursuant to certain of our contracts. The following table summarizes our estimate of material cash requirements for financing under executed contracts as of December 31, 2021 (in billions):
| Estimated Payments Due Under Executed Contracts by Period (1) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2023 - 2026 | Thereafter | Total | ||||||||||||
| Debt (2) | $ | 0.9 | $ | 11.5 | $ | 17.9 | $ | 30.3 | |||||||
| Interest payments (2) | 1.4 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 8.3 | |||||||||||
| Total | $ | 2.3 | $ | 15.8 | $ | 20.5 | $ | 38.6 |
(1)The estimates above reflect management’s assumptions and currently known market conditions and other factors as of December 31, 2021. Estimates are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially as a result of a variety of factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K.
(2)Debt and interest payments are based on the total debt balance, scheduled contractual maturities and fixed or estimated forward interest rates in effect at December 31, 2021, excluding debt and interest payments on the 2045 Cheniere Convertible Senior Notes which are based on the redemption payment made January 5, 2022. In December 2021, we issued a notice of redemption for all $0.6 billion aggregate principal amount outstanding of the 2045 Cheniere Convertible Senior Notes. The redemption payment of $0.5 billion is included in 2022 debt payments for consistency
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with expected cash flow presentation in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows when the instrument settles. Other than debt and interest payments on the 2045 Cheniere Convertible Senior Notes, debt and interest payments do not contemplate repurchases, repayments and retirements that we expect to make prior to contractual maturity. See further discussion in Note 11—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Debt
As of December 31, 2021, our debt complex was comprised of senior notes with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $27.8 billion, credit facilities with an aggregate outstanding balance of $2.0 billion and convertible notes with an outstanding principal balance of $625 million. As of December 31, 2021, each of our issuers was in compliance with all covenants related to their respective debt agreements. Further discussion of our debt obligations, including the restrictions imposed by these arrangements, can be found in Note 11—Debt of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Interest
As of December 31, 2021, our senior notes had a weighted average contractual interest rate of 4.84%, our credit facilities had weighted average interest rates on outstanding balances ranging from 1.85% to 3.50% and our convertible notes had an effective interest rate of 9.4%. Borrowings under our credit facilities are indexed to LIBOR, which is expected to be phased out by 2023. It is currently unclear whether LIBOR will be utilized beyond that date or whether it will be replaced by a particular rate. We amended certain credit facilities in 2021 to establish a SOFR-indexed replacement rate for LIBOR. We intend to continue working with our lenders and counterparties to pursue amendments to our debt and interest rate swap agreements that are currently indexed to LIBOR. Undrawn commitments under our credit facilities are subject to commitment fees ranging from 0.20% to 0.50%. Issued letters of credit under our credit facilities are subject to letter of credit fees ranging from 1.25% to 1.625%. We had $756 million aggregate amount of issued letters of credit under our credit facilities as of December 31, 2021.
Additional Future Cash Requirements for Financing
CQP Distribution
CQP is required by its partnership agreement to distribute to unitholders all available cash at the end of a quarter less the amount of any reserves established by its general partner. We own a 48.6% limited partner interest in CQP in the form of 239.9 million common units, with the remaining non-controlling limited partner interest held by Blackstone Inc., Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and the public. During the year ended December 31, 2021, CQP paid $649 million in distributions to its non-controlling interest.
Capital Allocation Plan
Cheniere Dividend
In September 2021, Cheniere declared an inaugural quarterly dividend of $0.33 per common share. As of December 31, 2021, there were 253.6 million shares of our common stock outstanding. On January 25, 2022, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per common share that is payable on February 28, 2022 to shareholders of record as of February 7, 2022.
Share Repurchase Program
In 2019, our Board authorized a three-year, $1.0 billion share repurchase program. In 2021, our Board authorized a reset of the share repurchase program, which reset the available balance to $1.0 billion, inclusive of any amounts remaining under the previous authorization as of September 30, 2021, for an additional three years beginning on October 1, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, we had up to $998 million available under the share repurchase program. The timing and amount of any shares of our common stock that are repurchased under the share repurchase program will be determined by management based on market conditions and other factors. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we repurchased a total of 0.1 million shares of our common stock for $9 million at a weighted average price per share of $87.32. A discussion of our share repurchase program can be found in Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholders Matters and Issuer Purchase of Equity Securities.
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Debt Repurchases, Repayments and Redemptions
We expect to repurchase, repay or redeem approximately $1.0 billion of existing indebtedness each year through 2024, with the intent of reaching investment grade consolidated credit metrics by the early-to-mid 2020s. Going forward, we expect to prioritize repayment of secured callable or maturing project debt to strengthen project credit metrics and lessen subordination of the corporate level credit profiles.
Financially Disciplined Growth
We expect to reach FID of Corpus Christi Stage 3 in 2022, which will increase cash requirements for financing the construction of Corpus Christi Stage 3. To the extent that liquefaction capacity at the Corpus Christi and Sabine Pass LNG terminals is expanded beyond the Liquefaction Projects and Corpus Christi Stage 3, we expect that additional financing would be used to fund construction of the expansion.
Sources and Uses of Cash
The following table summarizes the sources and uses of our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (in millions). The table presents capital expenditures on a cash basis; therefore, these amounts differ from the amounts of capital expenditures, including accruals, which are referred to elsewhere in this report. Additional discussion of these items follows the table.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 2,469 | $ | 1,265 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (912) | (1,947) | ||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (1,817) | (235) | ||||
| Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents | $ | (260) | $ | (917) |
Operating Cash Flows
Our operating cash net inflows during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were $2,469 million and $1,265 million, respectively. The $1,204 million increase in operating cash inflows in 2021 compared to 2020 was primarily related to increased cash receipts from the sale of LNG cargoes due to higher revenue per MMBtu and higher volume of LNG delivered, as well as from higher than normal contributions from LNG and natural gas portfolio optimization activities due to significant volatility in LNG and natural gas markets during the year ended December 31, 2021. Partially offsetting these operating cash inflows were higher operating cash outflows due to higher natural gas feedstock costs and payment of paid-in-kind interest on our convertible notes.
Investing Cash Flows
Our investing cash net outflows in both years primarily was for the construction costs for the Liquefaction Projects. The $1,035 million decrease in 2021 compared to 2020 was primarily due to the completion of Train 3 of the CCL Project in March 2021, which was under construction throughout 2020. These costs are capitalized as construction-in-process until achievement of substantial completion. Additionally, we purchased land adjacent to the CCL Project for potential future expansion purposes and received proceeds from the sale of fixed assets from divestment of non-core land holdings.
Financing Cash Flows
During the year ended December 31, 2021, we had total debt issuances of $5,911 million, which was comprised of $3,932 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes and aggregate borrowings of $1,979 million under our credit facilities. The proceeds from these issuances and borrowings, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem or repay a total of $6,810 million in debt, comprised of $3,600 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes, $295 million of our 4.875% Convertible Unsecured Notes due 2021 (“2021 Cheniere Convertible Notes”) and $2,915 million aggregate outstanding borrowings under our credit facilities.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we had total debt issuances of $7,823 million, which was comprised of $4,764 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes and aggregate borrowings of $3,059 million under our credit
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facilities. The proceeds from these issuances and borrowings, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem or repay a total of $6,940 million in debt, comprised of $2.0 billion aggregate principal amount of SPL’s 5.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2021 (the “2021 SPL Senior Notes”) $1,513 million of our convertible notes and $3,427 million aggregate outstanding borrowings under our credit facilities. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2020, we entered into the 2020 SPL Working Capital Facility to replace the previous working capital facility.
Debt Issuances and Related Financing Costs
The following table shows the issuances of debt during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, including intra-quarter borrowings (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||||
| SPL: | |||||||
| 4.500% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 | $ | — | $ | 1,995 | |||
| 2037 SPL Private Placement Senior Secured Notes | 482 | — | |||||
| CQP: | |||||||
| 2031 CQP Senior Notes | 1,500 | — | |||||
| 2032 CQP Senior Notes | 1,200 | — | |||||
| CCH: | |||||||
| 3.72% weighted average rate Senior Secured Notes due 2039 | 750 | 769 | |||||
| CCH Working Capital Facility | 400 | 281 | |||||
| Cheniere: | |||||||
| 4.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 | — | 2,000 | |||||
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | 1,359 | 455 | |||||
| Cheniere’s term loan facility (“Cheniere Term Loan Facility”) | 220 | 2,323 | |||||
| Total issuances | $ | 5,911 | $ | 7,823 |
During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we incurred debt issuance costs and other financing costs of $53 million and $125 million, respectively, related to the debt issuances above and closing of credit facilities during the respective periods.
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Debt Redemptions and Repayments and Related Modification or Extinguishment Costs
The following table shows the redemptions and repayments of debt during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, including intra-quarter repayments (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||||
| SPL: | |||||||
| 2021 SPL Senior Notes | $ | — | $ | (2,000) | |||
| 2022 SPL Senior Notes | (1,000) | — | |||||
| CQP: | |||||||
| 2025 CQP Senior Notes | (1,500) | — | |||||
| 2026 CQP Senior Notes | (1,100) | — | |||||
| CCH: | |||||||
| CCH Credit Facility | (898) | (141) | |||||
| CCH Working Capital Facility | (290) | (656) | |||||
| Cheniere: | |||||||
| 11% Convertible Senior Secured Notes due 2025 | — | (1,000) | |||||
| 2021 Cheniere Convertible Notes | (295) | (513) | |||||
| Cheniere Revolving Credit Facility | (1,359) | (455) | |||||
| Cheniere Term Loan Facility | (368) | (2,175) | |||||
| Total redemption and repayments | $ | (6,810) | $ | (6,940) |
During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we incurred debt modification or extinguishment costs of $82 million and $172 million, respectively, related to these redemptions and repayments, primarily for the payment of early redemption fees and write off of unamortized issuance costs.
Non-Controlling Interest Distributions
In addition to the above debt transactions, CQP paid distributions during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 to non-controlling interests since we own 48.6% limited partner interest in CQP and the remaining non-controlling interest is held by Blackstone Inc., Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and the public. During the year ended December 31, 2021, CQP paid $649 million in distributions to its non-controlling interest. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we also paid $9 million and $155 million, respectively, to repurchase approximately 0.1 million shares and 2.9 million shares, respectively, of our common stock under our share repurchase program.
Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. Management evaluates its estimates and related assumptions regularly, including those related to the valuation of derivative instruments. Changes in facts and circumstances or additional information may result in revised estimates, and actual results may differ from these estimates. Management considers the following to be its most critical accounting estimates that involve significant judgment.
Fair Value of Derivative Instruments
All derivative instruments, other than those that satisfy specific exceptions, are recorded at fair value. We record changes in the fair value of our derivative positions through earnings, based on the value for which the derivative instrument could be exchanged between willing parties. If market quotes are not available to estimate fair value, management’s best estimate of fair value is based on the quoted market price of derivatives with similar characteristics or determined through industry-standard valuation approaches. Such evaluations may involve significant judgment and the results are based on expected future events or conditions, particularly for those valuations using inputs unobservable in the market as discussed below.
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Our derivative instruments consist of interest rate swaps, financial commodity derivative contracts transacted in an over-the-counter market, physical commodity contracts and foreign currency exchange (“FX”) contracts. We value our interest rate swaps using observable inputs including interest rate curves, risk adjusted discount rates, credit spreads and other relevant data. Valuation of our financial commodity derivative contracts is determined using observable commodity price curves and other relevant data. We estimate the fair values of our FX derivative instruments using observable FX rates and other relevant data.
Valuation of our physical commodity derivative contracts, consisting primarily of natural gas supply contracts for the operation of our liquified natural gas facilities, is often developed through the use of internal models which incorporate significant observable and unobservable inputs. In instances where observable data is unavailable, consideration is given to the assumptions that market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability. This includes assumptions about market risks, such as future prices of energy units for unobservable periods, liquidity and volatility, and associated events deriving fair value including, but not limited to, evaluation of whether the respective market exists from the perspective of market participants as infrastructure is developed.
The valuation of certain physical commodity derivatives requires the use of significant unobservable inputs and judgment in estimating underlying forward commodity curves due to periods of unobservability or limited liquidity. Such valuations are more susceptible to variability particularly when markets are volatile. Provided below is the change in unrealized valuation gain (loss) of instruments valued through the use of internal models which incorporate significant unobservable inputs for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (in millions). The changes shown are limited to instruments still held at the end of each respective period.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Change in unrealized gain (loss) relating to instruments still held at end of period | $ | (4,305) | $ | 156 |
The $4.3 billion unrealized valuation loss on instruments held during the year ended December 31, 2021 is primarily attributed to significant appreciation in estimated forward international LNG commodity curves on our IPM agreements from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021, relative to prior comparative period.
The ultimate fair value of our derivative instruments is uncertain, and we believe that it is reasonably possible that a material change in the estimated fair value could occur in the near future, particularly as it relates to commodity prices given the level of volatility in the current year. See Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk for further analysis of the sensitivity of the fair value of our derivatives to hypothetical changes in underlying prices.
Recent Accounting Standards
For a summary of recently issued accounting standards, see Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.