US LNG exports have climbed back to near record highs, rebounding from the seasonal dip that Gulf Coast heat and spring turnaround work imposed on feedgas demand earlier in the summer, Natural Gas Intelligence reports.

The recovery marks a sharp reversal from the late-spring period, when maintenance outages at Gulf Coast liquefaction terminals pulled feedgas nominations lower and briefly cooled the export column that had been running at record pace through the first quarter. With turnaround activity winding down, terminals along the Louisiana and Texas coast are again drawing gas at rates that put total shipments within reach of the all-time high.

Gulf Coast heat adds a complicating layer. High ambient temperatures reduce liquefaction efficiency and can cap output at individual trains, so the rebound to near-record volumes has come despite, not because of, summer weather. Operators have managed the constraint, and aggregate feedgas demand has recovered to levels consistent with peak export performance.

The trajectory matters for the domestic balance. Feedgas demand is the single largest source of incremental US gas consumption growth, and a return to near-record pull from the Gulf Coast terminals tightens the national supply-demand picture heading into the second half of the year. The rebound also signals that the maintenance season — typically the soft patch in the LNG export calendar between winter draw and summer peak — has effectively closed.

NGI, which tracks pipeline nominations feeding the liquefaction complexes at Sabine Pass, Corpus Christi, Freeport, Cameron, Calcasieu Pass and the Golden Pass build-out, reported the recovery in export volumes in its latest market coverage. The data underscores how quickly the export column re-rates once maintenance windows close and trains return to service.

Watch items from here: sustained feedgas nominations through the peak-heat weeks of August, where temperatures in the 100°F range along the Gulf Coast could again shave liquefaction efficiency; and the pace of commissioning activity at new Gulf Coast capacity, which would set the baseline for record-setting flows into the winter. Traders will also monitor cargo scheduling out of Cheniere's Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi platforms for confirmation that the rebound holds rather than rolling over into another maintenance lull.