Energy Transfer Takes a Major Step Toward Adding a Lot More Fuel to Grow Its High-Yielding Dividend

Core Viewpoint - Energy Transfer is making significant progress in converting its Lake Charles facility from a natural gas import terminal to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal, which is expected to enhance its long-term growth outlook and increase its high-yielding distribution [2][6]. Project Development - Energy Transfer has been working on the Lake Charles LNG project for over 10 years, initially proposing a capacity of nearly 16.5 million tons per year for LNG production and export [3]. - The project faced setbacks, including Shell's withdrawal in 2020 due to the pandemic's impact on the LNG market, but Shell returned as a customer in 2022 with a 20-year agreement for 2.1 million tons of LNG per year [4][5]. New Partnership - Energy Transfer has signed an agreement with MidOcean Energy, which will fund 30% of the project's multibillion-dollar construction cost in exchange for 30% of the LNG production, approximately 5 million tons per year [6][7]. - MidOcean Energy's involvement is expected to significantly reduce the capital outlay required by Energy Transfer and enhance the project's commercial viability [8]. Financial Implications - The project is anticipated to generate substantial future cash flows from both the retained stake in the facility and increased gas volumes transported through Energy Transfer's pipelines [9]. - The company aims to make a positive Final Investment Decision (FID) by the end of this year, bolstered by a significant percentage of LNG capacity already under contract [7][9].