SYDNEY, March 17, 2026, 08:58 AEDT
Woodside Energy Group Ltd shares rose on Monday after the Australian producer used a sustainability briefing to defend its strategy and stress long-term shareholder value. The stock closed up 1.9% at A$31.63, while the S&P/ASX 200 ended 0.4% lower. 1
The move matters because Woodside is asking investors to stay with a liquefied natural gas (LNG) build-out just as Middle East fighting keeps oil, LNG routes and energy security at the center of the market. Brent ended Monday at $100.21 a barrel, still nearly 40% above where it started the month, and Woodside told investors recent events had made the pace of the energy transition “less, not more, certain.” 2
The briefing came three weeks after Woodside reported underlying net profit after tax of $2.65 billion, down from a year earlier but above consensus, alongside record output helped by Senegal’s Sangomar project. At that update, Woodside said it expected to name a permanent CEO in the first quarter, declared a final dividend of 59 U.S. cents a share, and said Scarborough was 94% complete and on track for first LNG in the fourth quarter of 2026. Tim Waterer of KCM Trade said a potential sale of another 20% of Woodside’s Louisiana LNG holding company would help “de-risk the balance sheet.” 3
On climate, Woodside said it met its 2025 target to cut net equity Scope 1 and 2 emissions — direct emissions from its operations and those tied to purchased power — by 15% from its starting base. It also said gross emissions at source fell from the prior year despite higher oil and gas production, and that it used 5% fewer carbon credits to offset emissions. 4
Tony Cudmore, Woodside’s executive vice president for sustainability, told investors that “our climate policy remains unchanged.” Acting CEO Liz Westcott also argued LNG’s role is “pivotal” for energy security, and the company said it has signed more than 75 million tonnes of long-term LNG sales agreements over the past two years, with contracts stretching into the 2040s and about 75% of 2026-2028 LNG volumes already contracted. 4
The market appeared willing to pay for that mix of contracted LNG exposure and firmer near-term energy prices. Cliff Man, chief executive of ETF Shares, told Reuters the “geopolitical risk premium could persist,” adding support to a sector that finished the day 0.5% higher. 5
But the setup can still fray. Woodside said lower-carbon ammonia from its Beaumont project in Texas is now likely after 2026 because of construction issues at a third-party feedstock supplier, and it said demand for lower-carbon ammonia has developed more slowly than first expected. 4
A sharper slide in oil would also test the trade. Brent fell about 3% on Monday as some vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz, easing one of the pressures that had pushed crude above $100, and investors are still waiting for Woodside’s promised CEO appointment before the end of the first quarter. 6
