Exhibit 99.1
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contact:
Doug Kline
Sempra Energy
(877) 340-8875
www.sempra.com
Financial Contact:
Kendall Helm
Sempra Energy
(877) 736-7727
investor@sempra.com
SEMPRA ENERGY EARNINGS RISE IN 2015
·
Results Exceed 2015 Adjusted Earnings Guidance
·
Annualized Dividend Raised 8 Percent to $3.02 Per Share
·
Company Sets 2016 Adjusted Earnings-Per-Share Guidance Range at $4.80 to $5.20
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 26, 2016 – Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) today reported 2015 earnings of $1.35 billion, or $5.37 per diluted share, up from $1.16 billion, or $4.63 per diluted share, in 2014.
Sempra Energy’s 2015 results included: a $36 million after-tax gain on the sale of the second block of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power’s Mesquite power facility; a benefit of $15 million after tax for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), due to a reduction in the loss related to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS); and $10 million after tax in liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction development expenses. Sempra Energy’s 2014 results reflected $21 million after tax in charges related to SONGS. Excluding these items in both years, Sempra Energy’s adjusted earnings in 2015 were $1.31 billion, or $5.21 per diluted share, up from $1.18 billion, or $4.71 per diluted share, in 2014.
On Feb. 18, California state regulators confirmed that Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) had permanently sealed the leaking well at its Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility outside Los Angeles.
“We are pleased SoCalGas was able to permanently stop the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak last week,” said Debra L. Reed, chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy. “We recognize the disruption the leak has caused to SoCalGas customers living in the neighborhoods adjacent to the Aliso Canyon facility. SoCalGas is committed to helping local residents return to their normal lives as quickly as possible and also will support forward-looking regulations to ensure the safety of natural gas storage operations going forward.
“Despite this operational challenge at SoCalGas, we produced strong financial results in 2015. We successfully grew operating earnings and outperformed our adjusted earnings guidance for the year. Looking forward, our key capital projects and initiatives are progressing well, and we are executing our five-year financial plan, which we expect will generate earnings growth at about twice the utility industry average.”
Sempra Energy’s fourth-quarter earnings increased to $369 million, or $1.47 per diluted share, in 2015 from $297 million, or $1.18 per diluted share, in 2014. Excluding SONGS-related items and LNG liquefaction development expenses, Sempra Energy’s adjusted earnings in the fourth quarter 2015 were $370 million, or $1.47 per diluted share, compared with $309 million, or $1.23 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter 2014.
Beginning in the first quarter 2015, SoCalGas adopted an order by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to recognize revenues from the utility’s core activities on a seasonally adjusted basis (seasonality). The application of seasonality to revenues results in substantially all of SoCalGas’ annual earnings being reported in the first and fourth quarters of the year, but did not affect full-year earnings or cash flow. Due to seasonality, Sempra Energy’s fourth-quarter 2015 earnings reflected $48 million higher earnings at SoCalGas, compared with the fourth quarter 2014, offsetting the net seasonality impact on earnings through the first three quarters of 2015.
Last week, Sempra Energy’s board of directors approved an 8-percent increase in the company’s annualized dividend to $3.02 per share from $2.80 per share.
CALIFORNIA UTILITIES
San Diego Gas & Electric
SDG&E’s fourth-quarter earnings increased to $144 million in 2015 from $128 million in 2014. Excluding SONGS-related items in both years, SDG&E’s adjusted earnings were $142 million in the fourth quarter 2015, compared with $140 million in the fourth quarter 2014.
SDG&E’s full-year earnings were $587 million in 2015, up from $507 million in 2014, due primarily to increased earnings from electric transmission operations; higher CPUC base margin, net of operating expenses; and the favorable resolution of prior-years’ tax matters. Excluding SONGS-related items in both years, SDG&E’s adjusted earnings were $572 million in 2015, compared with $528 million in 2014.
Southern California Gas Co.
In the fourth quarter 2015, SoCalGas’ earnings were $143 million, up from $76 million in the fourth quarter 2014, due primarily to the impact of seasonality on revenues, which added $48 million of earnings during the most recent quarter, as well as higher CPUC base margin, net of operating expenses.
SoCalGas’ full-year earnings were $419 million in 2015, up from $332 million in 2014, due primarily to a lower effective tax rate, including favorable resolution of prior years’ income-tax matters. Additionally, in 2015, SoCalGas’ increased earnings were due to higher CPUC base margin, net of operating expenses; a retroactive rate base benefit approved by the CPUC in 2015; and higher regulatory earnings on projects under construction.
SEMPRA INTERNATIONAL
Sempra South American Utilities
In the fourth quarter 2015, Sempra South American Utilities’ earnings were $46 million, down from $63 million in the prior year’s fourth quarter, due primarily to lower income-tax expense in 2014 as a result of Peruvian tax reform.
In 2015, full-year earnings for Sempra South American Utilities were $175 million, compared with $172 million in 2014.
Sempra Mexico
Sempra Mexico’s fourth-quarter earnings were $53 million in 2015, unchanged from 2014.
In 2015, Sempra Mexico’s earnings were $213 million, up from $192 million in 2014, primarily due to a full year of earnings from pipelines that were placed into service in the fourth quarter 2014.
SEMPRA U.S. GAS & POWER
Sempra Natural Gas
In the fourth quarter 2015, Sempra Natural Gas earned $1 million, down from $11 million in the fourth quarter 2014, primarily as a result of lower natural gas prices.
Sempra Natural Gas earned $44 million in 2015, down from $50 million in 2014.
Sempra Renewables
Fourth-quarter earnings for Sempra Renewables were $16 million in 2015, down from $18 million in 2014.
In 2015, earnings for Sempra Renewables were $63 million, down from $81 million in 2014, due primarily to $24 million in gains in 2014 from the sale of 50-percent equity interests in the Copper Mountain Solar 3 and Broken Bow 2 Wind projects.
2016 ADJUSTED EARNINGS GUIDANCE
Sempra Energy today set its 2016 adjusted earnings-per-share guidance range at $4.80 to $5.20. The adjusted earnings guidance for 2016 excludes any gains or losses on potential acquisitions or asset sales. This adjusted guidance has been updated based on several new assumptions for 2016 with the inclusion of projected LNG development expenses, revised forecasts for natural gas prices and foreign currency effects, and estimates based on the multi-party settlement agreement filed in the California utilities’ 2016 General Rate Case, among other factors.
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
Non-GAAP financial measures for Sempra Energy include fourth-quarter and full-year 2015 and 2014 adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per share, and 2016 and 2015 adjusted earnings-per-share guidance, as well as fourth-quarter and full-year 2015 and 2014 SDG&E adjusted earnings. Additional information regarding these non-GAAP financial measures is in the appendix on Table A of the fourth-quarter 2015 financial tables.
INTERNET BROADCAST
Sempra Energy will broadcast a live discussion of its earnings results over the Internet today at 12 p.m. EST 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 2934710.
Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2015 revenues of more than $10 billion. The Sempra Energy companies’ 17,000 employees serve more than 32 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," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "contemplates," "intends," “assumes,” "depends," "should," "could," "would," "will," "confident," "may," "potential," "possible," "proposed," "target," "pursue," "goals," "outlook," "maintain,”or similar expressions or discussions of guidance, strategies, plans, goals, opportunities, projections, initiatives, objectives 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, legal and regulatory conditions, decisions and developments; actions and the timing of actions, including general rate case decisions, new regulations, issuances of permits to construct, operate and maintain facilities and equipment and use land, franchise agreements and licenses for operation, by the California Public Utilities Commission, California State Legislature, U.S. Department of Energy, California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, California Energy Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, California Air Resources Board, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Mexican Competition Commission, cities and counties, and other regulatory, governmental and environmental bodies in the United States and other countries in which we operate; the timing and success of business development efforts and construction, maintenance and capital projects, including risks in obtaining, maintaining or extending permits, licenses, certificates and other authorizations on a timely basis and risks in obtaining adequate and competitive financing for such projects; deviations from regulatory precedent or practice that result in a reallocation of benefits or burdens among shareholders and ratepayers, and delays in regulatory agency authorization to recover costs in rates from customers; the availability of electric power, natural gas and liquefied natural gas, and natural gas pipeline and storage capacity, including disruptions caused by failures in the North American transmission grid, moratoriums on the ability to withdraw natural gas from or inject natural gas into storage facilities, pipeline explosions and equipment failures; energy markets; the timing and extent of changes and volatility in commodity prices; and the impact on the value of our natural gas storage assets from low natural gas prices, low volatility of natural gas prices and the inability to procure favorable long-term contracts for natural gas storage services; the resolution of civil and criminal litigation and regulatory investigations; risks posed by decisions and actions of third parties who control the operations of investments in which we do not have a controlling interest, and risks that our partners or counterparties will be unable or unwilling to fulfill their contractual commitments; capital markets conditions, including the availability of credit and the liquidity of our investments, and inflation, interest and currency exchange rates; cybersecurity threats to the energy grid, natural gas storage and pipeline infrastructure, the information and systems used to operate our businesses and the confidentiality of our proprietary information and the personal information of our customers and employees; terrorist attacks that threaten system operations and critical infrastructure; and wars; the ability to win competitively bid infrastructure projects against a number of strong competitors willing to aggressively bid for these projects; weather conditions, natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, equipment failures and other events that may disrupt our operations, damage our facilities and systems, cause the release of greenhouse gasses, radioactive materials and harmful emissions, and subject us to third-party liability for property damage or personal injuries, some of which may not be covered by insurance; disallowance of regulatory assets associated with, or decommissioning costs of, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station facility due to increased regulatory oversight, including motions to modify settlements; expropriation of assets by foreign governments and title and other property disputes; the impact on reliability of San Diego Gas & Electric Company’s (SDG&E) electric transmission and distribution system due to increased amount and variability of power supply from renewable energy sources and increased reliance on natural gas and natural gas transmission systems; the impact on competitive customer rates of the growth in distributed and local power generation and the corresponding decrease in demand for power delivered through SDG&E’s electric transmission and distribution system; the inability or determination not to enter into long-term supply and sales agreements or long-term firm capacity agreements due to insufficient market interest, unattractive pricing or other factors; and other uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control.
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. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forecasts or projections or other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Sempra International, LLC, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC, and Sempra Partners, LP, are not the same companies as the California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Sempra International, LLC, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC, and Sempra Partners, LP, are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. Sempra International's underlying entities include Sempra Mexico and Sempra South American Utilities. Sempra U.S. Gas & Power's underlying entities include Sempra Renewables and Sempra Natural Gas.
| SEMPRA ENERGY | | | | | | | |
| Table A | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS | | | | | | |
| | Three months ended | | Years ended |
| | December 31, | | December 31, |
| (Dollars in millions, except per share amounts) | 2015 (1) | | 2014 | | 2015 | | 2014 |
| | (unaudited) | | | | |
| REVENUES | | | | | | | |
| Utilities | $ 2,486 | | $ 2,440 | | $ 9,254 | | $ 9,758 |
| Energy-related businesses | 215 | | 307 | | 977 | | 1,277 |
| Total revenues | 2,701 | | 2,747 | | 10,231 | | 11,035 |
| EXPENSES AND OTHER INCOME | | | | | | | |
| Utilities: | | | | | | | |
| Cost of natural gas | (348) | | (450) | | (1,134) | | (1,758) |
| Cost of electric fuel and purchased power | (491) | | (520) | | (2,136) | | (2,281) |
| Energy-related businesses: | | | | | | | |
| Cost of natural gas, electric fuel and purchased power | (73) | | (125) | | (335) | | (552) |
| Other cost of sales | (37) | | (41) | | (148) | | (163) |
| Operation and maintenance | (823) | | (804) | | (2,895) | | (2,935) |
| Depreciation and amortization | (325) | | (290) | | (1,250) | | (1,156) |
| Franchise fees and other taxes | (109) | | (107) | | (423) | | (408) |
| Plant closure adjustment (loss) | 5 | | (19) | | 26 | | (6) |
| Gain on sale of equity interests and assets | 8 | | 14 | | 70 | | 62 |
| Equity earnings, before income tax | 25 | | 19 | | 104 | | 81 |
| Other income, net | 38 | | 19 | | 126 | | 137 |
| Interest income | 6 | | 7 | | 29 | | 22 |
| Interest expense | (145) | | (136) | | (561) | | (554) |
| Income before income taxes and equity earnings of certain | | | | | | | |
| unconsolidated subsidiaries | 432 | | 314 | | 1,704 | | 1,524 |
| Income tax expense | (65) | | (9) | | (341) | | (300) |
| Equity earnings, net of income tax | 21 | | 16 | | 85 | | 38 |
| Net income | 388 | | 321 | | 1,448 | | 1,262 |
| Earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests | (19) | | (24) | | (98) | | (100) |
| Preferred dividends of subsidiary | ― | | ― | | (1) | | (1) |
| Earnings | $ 369 | | $ 297 | | $ 1,349 | | $ 1,161 |
| | | | | | | | |
| Basic earnings per common share | $ 1.48 | | $ 1.21 | | $ 5.43 | | $ 4.72 |
| Weighted-average number of shares outstanding, basic (thousands) | 248,722 | | 246,448 | | 248,249 | | 245,891 |
| | | | | | | | |
| Diluted earnings per common share | $ 1.47 | | $ 1.18 | | $ 5.37 | | $ 4.63 |
| Weighted-average number of shares outstanding, diluted (thousands) | 251,450 | | 251,333 | | 250,923 | | 250,655 |
| | | | | | | | |
| Dividends declared per share of common stock | $ 0.70 | | $ 0.66 | | $ 2.80 | | $ 2.64 |
| | | | | | | | |
| (1) Reflects the impact of seasonalization at Southern California Gas as discussed on Table D. | | |
| | | | | | | | |
