" what is about this LNG Canada offering that made it more attractive for these customers to sign rather than coming in with us?"
Nobody signed with them, they just have deep pockets and the money to proceed through FID without contracted customers.
Their (LNG Canada's) business model is produce it for themselves with gas they own or purchase, process into LNG, and have signed agreements with purchasers/end users to purchase the LNG or sell into the spot market.
Our model is a Binding Tolling Agreement (BTA's). We (LNG Limited) don't supply/purchase the gas, and we don't supply/sell to the customers. We sit there similar to say a toll road where cars pay for using the road, and collect money for our company using our equipment to process the gas into LNG. We therefore have no/minimal risk. ITs a take or pay model.
What we want is signed, legally binding, agreements for long periods of time, from investment grade companies, so we can go to bank and get the money at low interest rates to build the plant. Stonepeak have agreed to cough up half of the cost of as equity in the Magnolia site only (Magnolia LNG) and we will own the other half, our half solely funded by banks.
I guess you could say our model is simply an infrastructure play.
We have one BTA with Meridian for 2 mtpa, we need another 4 mtpa to be signed via BTA's to get the finance for the 8 Mtpa plant. From that I gather they (LNG Limited) can get the finance from the banks at the rates they want, and sign the other 2 mtpa later