Company Interview / How 'drill, baby, drill' stacks up for Woodside

Key points:

Woodside demonstrates confidence in paying high dividends due to strong asset baseFuture estoration costs are managed with focus on transparencyLouisiana equity sell-down progresses with strategic investor discussions ongoing

CEO Meg O'Neill from Woodside Energy (ASX: WDS) highlights the company's strong full year financial performance driven by underlying strength in Woodside's LNG assets in Australia and a successful new project in Senegal.

On Woodside's Louisiana project equity sell-down, O'Neill shares the latest on its plans to retain 50% equity and involve strategic investors. She's not "particularly" concerned about the threat of Trump tariffs, saying the project benefits from a favourable market and free trade zone status. Furhermore, she says the political environment in the US is positive for Woodside as US players want international exposure, while international entities see importing US produced gas as a way to balance trade. O'Neill foresees the decision on a final investment for Louisiana in the first quarter.

O'Neill addresses concerns that have been raised over future restoration costs, explaining that 2025 will be significant for decommissioning activities but assures transparent financial statement reflection. She says the company is committed to returning locations to their original conditions while handling decommissioning efficiently.