Sempra Energy Reports Higher First-Quarter 2011 Earnings
Earnings Per Share Rise 34 Percent, Excluding 2010 Litigation Charge
Sempra Generation Receives Approval on 20-Year Contract for Arizona Solar Plant
SAN DIEGO, May 9, 2011 - Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) today reported first-quarter 2011 earnings of $258 million, or $1.07 per diluted share, up from 2010 earnings of $106 million, or $0.42 per diluted share.
First-quarter 2010 earnings included an after-tax charge of $96 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, related to a litigation settlement. Excluding the 2010 litigation charge, Sempra Energy's first-quarter 2011 earnings per share increased approximately 34 percent from last year.
"After refocusing our strategy on regulated utilities and contracted energy infrastructure, we are pleased that first-quarter results were strong across all of our
business segments," said Donald E. Felsinger, chairman and chief executive officer of Sempra Energy.
SUBSIDIARY OPERATING RESULTS
San Diego Gas & Electric
First-quarter earnings for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) increased to $89 million in 2011 from $83 million in 2010.
SDG&E has signed six renewable energy contracts this year, boosting its renewable portfolio capacity by more than 700 megawatts (MW), and increasing its total amount of renewable resources under contract to more than 29 percent of forecasted retail sales by 2015. The contracts are subject to regulatory approval.
Southern California Gas Co.
Earnings for Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) in the first quarter 2011 were $68 million, compared with $65 million in last year's first quarter.
Sempra Generation
Sempra Generation's first-quarter earnings were $44 million in 2011, compared with a loss of $51 million in 2010. First-quarter 2010 results included an $84 million after-tax charge related to a litigation settlement. The improvement in the first quarter 2011 was due to lower operating and maintenance costs.
Last month, Sempra Generation entered into a 20-year contract to sell SDG&E wind power from the 156-MW first phase of the Energía Sierra Juárez wind project under development in Baja California, Mexico. The contract is subject to regulatory approval.
Also in April, the California Public Utilities Commission approved Pacific Gas & Electric's 20-year power-purchase agreement with Sempra Generation for solar power from the first 150-MW phase of Sempra Generation's Mesquite Solar project in Arizona.
Sempra Pipelines & Storage
Earnings for Sempra Pipelines & Storage in the first quarter 2011 rose to $54 million from $38 million in the first quarter 2010, due primarily to additional earnings from the Mexican pipeline assets acquired in April 2010 and higher operating results from its utilities in Chile and Peru.
Last month, Sempra Pipelines & Storage completed the acquisition of controlling ownership in Chilquinta Energía and Luz del Sur, two South American utilities that Sempra Pipelines & Storage previously co-owned with a partner. The purchase price was $875 million. Sempra Pipelines & Storage now owns 100 percent of Chilquinta Energía and 76 percent of Luz del Sur, with the remaining shares of Luz del Sur held by institutional investors and the general public.
Sempra LNG
Sempra LNG earned $33 million in the first quarter 2011, compared with $32 million in the first quarter 2010.
INTERNET BROADCAST
Sempra Energy will broadcast a live discussion of its earnings results over the Internet today at 1 p.m. EDT with senior management of the company. Access is available by logging onto the website at www.sempra.com. For those unable to log onto the live webcast, the teleconference will be available on replay a few hours after its conclusion by dialing (888) 203-1112 and entering passcode 3265782.
Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2010 revenues of $9 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' nearly 16,000 employees serve about 26 million consumers worldwide.
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This press release contains statements that are not historical fact and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by words like "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "potential," "target," "depends," or similar expressions, or discussions of strategies, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon various assumptions involving judgments with respect to the future and other risks, including, among others: local, regional, national and international economic, competitive, political, legislative and regulatory conditions and developments; actions by the California Public Utilities Commission, California State Legislature, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, California Energy Commission, California Air Resources Board, and other regulatory, governmental and environmental bodies in the United States and other countries where the company does business; capital market conditions and inflation, interest and exchange rates; energy markets, including the timing and extent of changes and volatility in commodity prices; the availability of electric power, natural gas and liquefied natural gas; weather conditions and conservation efforts; war and terrorist attacks; business, regulatory, environmental and legal decisions and requirements; the status of deregulation of retail natural gas and electricity delivery; the timing and success of business development efforts; the resolution of litigation; and other uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of the company. These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that Sempra Energy has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on the company's website at www.sempra.com.
Sempra Pipelines & Storage, Sempra Generation, Sempra LNG and Sempra Energy Trading are not the same companies as the utility, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Sempra Pipelines & Storage, Sempra Generation, Sempra LNG and RBS Sempra Commodities dba Sempra Energy Solutions and Sempra Energy Trading are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.
Media Contact:
Doug Kline
Sempra Energy
(877) 340-8875
dkline@sempra.com
www.sempra.com
Financial Contacts:
Scott Tomayko/Victor Vilaplana
Sempra Energy
(877) 736-7727
investor@sempra.com
