By Tsvetana Paraskova - Jun 29, 2021, 6:00 PM CDT The global liquefied natural gas market has recovered from the 2020 pandemic shock to energy demand. As LNG consumption and spot prices surge this year, U.S. exports of LNG are booming. In the short term, American LNG exports are set for records this year, benefiting from the highest summer spot prices in Asia in at least six years and Europe’s very low natural gas inventories. Those have prompted Europe to restock with natural gas following a harsh winter that drained inventories when a cold snap in April caused unusual additional withdrawals from storage.