Energy prices aren’t just soaring in the U.S. as a cold winter sets in. In Asia, liquefied natural gas has surged to a record as demand for the clean fuel rises and supply constraints hobble the market. LNG is increasingly the fuel of choice in Asia, with large users such as power producers in many cases under pressure from their governments to limit the environmental impact of rising fossil-fuel consumption, but record prices could force some to rethink their fuel choices. Japan, for example, has boosted its LNG imports since the Fukushima Daiichi crisis that led to the idling of all its nuclear-power plants, helping to push its trade deficit to a record last year and reigniting a debate on whether to restart reactors . For more price-sensitive consumers in India and Southeast Asia, higher LNG prices are prompting power generators to rely more heavily on alternatives like coal. […]