Sempra Reports First-Quarter 2024 Results

• Reports $3B System Resiliency Plan Filed at Oncor
• Reaches FID on Cimarrón Wind Farm at Sempra Infrastructure

SAN DIEGO, May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra (NYSE: SRE) (BMV: SRE) today reported first-quarter 2024 earnings, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), of $801 million or $1.26 per diluted share, compared to first-quarter 2023 GAAP earnings of $969 million or $1.53 per diluted share. On an adjusted basis, first-quarter 2024 earnings were $854 million or $1.34 per diluted share, compared to $922 million, or $1.46 per diluted share in 2023.

"At Sempra, we are off to a great start in 2024. We are seeing strong economic growth in our core markets with increased interest in renewables, electric vehicles, digital infrastructure and the continued electrification of the economy," said Jeffrey W. Martin, chairman and CEO of Sempra. "Our infrastructure-centered strategy has us well positioned to continue modernizing and expanding the energy grid to help meet the needs of our customers."

The reported financial results reflect certain significant items as described on an after-tax basis in the following table of GAAP earnings, reconciled to adjusted earnings, for first-quarter 2024 and 2023.

Sempra California

Sempra California continues to invest in innovation and infrastructure to help meet the state's clean energy goals. In March, Sempra California joined its peers in filing an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to develop a series of projects to demonstrate hydrogen blending in the natural gas system. Hydrogen blending has been identified by California as a key component of its efforts to achieve the state's decarbonization goals. This application is an important step toward development of a statewide standard for hydrogen blending with a view toward accelerating the expansion of a cleaner, more resilient grid.

Furthering its track record of helping California lead the nation in electric vehicle adoption, San Diego Gas & Electric Co. recently celebrated the installation of charging infrastructure to provide reliable and accessible charging options for medium- to heavy-duty electric freight trucks crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Southern California Gas Co. with an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year distinction for exemplary dedication to energy efficiency programs that help customers save money and reduce emissions.

Of note, progress also continues with the general rate cases before the CPUC. A proposed decision is anticipated in second-quarter 2024 with a final decision expected before year end. As a result, Sempra California recorded CPUC revenues in first-quarter 2024 based on 2023 authorized levels.

Sempra Texas

Sempra Texas continues to see broad economic expansion across its service territory with notable growth in residential, commercial and industrial development, including the siting and development of digital infrastructure such as data centers and microchip and semiconductor manufacturing facilities. Yesterday, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC (Oncor) filed a system resiliency plan outlining nearly $3 billion of strategic capital investments to be invested over the next three years in system hardening and grid modernization, cyber threat prevention, enhanced vegetation management, wildfire mitigation, new technology and other resiliency measures. These investments build upon the measures already in place and represent Oncor's first proposed plan under the new regulatory framework established by Texas House Bill 2555, which aims to improve reliability and resiliency for customers and improve the timeliness of cost recovery for expenditures in approved plans. In accordance with the referenced law, the Public Utility Commission of Texas may take up to 180 days to review the plan, and if approved, Oncor expects to begin implementing the plan in 2025.

At the end of first-quarter 2024, Oncor had 781 active generation and large commercial and industrial transmission point-of-interconnection (POI) requests in queue, representing a 20% increase as compared to the end of first-quarter 2023. In first-quarter 2024, Oncor placed into service 9 major substations and 24 circuit miles of new or upgraded high-voltage transmission lines within the jurisdiction of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

Sempra Infrastructure 

Sempra Infrastructure's operational excellence and strong project development capabilities continue to drive its strategy of executing on energy infrastructure projects expected to play a crucial role in the energy systems of the future. This includes continued development of liquefied natural gas export facilities, associated pipelines, renewables, carbon capture and energy networks.

Construction of Energía Costa Azul LNG Phase 1 and Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 remain on schedule. Energía Costa Azul LNG Phase 1 construction is now over 80% complete and remains on track to commence commercial operations in summer 2025.

Additionally, Sempra Infrastructure made a positive final investment decision and began construction of the Cimarrón wind project, the third phase of the Energía Sierra Juarez (ESJ) wind complex. The total project is anticipated to provide approximately 320 megawatts of wind capacity. The Cimarrón project will utilize Sempra Infrastructure's existing cross-border, high-voltage transmission line interconnecting the ESJ wind complex directly into the California Independent System Operator grid to support a 20-year power purchase agreement with Silicon Valley Power in Santa Clara, Calif. Total capital expenditures for the project are estimated at $550 million, and the project is expected to commence generating energy in late 2025.

Earnings Guidance 

Sempra is updating its full-year 2024 GAAP earnings per common share (EPS) guidance range to $4.52 to $4.82 reflecting actual results through the first quarter, affirming its full-year 2024 adjusted EPS guidance range of $4.60 to $4.90, and affirming its full-year 2025 EPS guidance range of $4.90 to $5.25. The company is also affirming its projected long-term EPS growth rate of 6% to 8%. 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Non-GAAP financial measures include Sempra's adjusted earnings, adjusted EPS and adjusted EPS guidance range. See Table A for additional information regarding these non-GAAP financial measures.

Internet Broadcast

Sempra will broadcast a live discussion of its earnings results over the internet today at 12 p.m. ET with the company's senior management. Access is available by logging onto the Investors section of the company's website, sempra.com/investors. The webcast will be available on replay a few hours after its conclusion at sempra.com/investors.

About Sempra

Sempra (NYSE: SRE) is a leading North American energy infrastructure company focused on delivering energy to nearly 40 million consumers. As owner of one of the largest energy networks on the continent, Sempra is electrifying and improving the energy resilience of some of the world's most significant economic markets, including California, Texas, Mexico and global energy markets. The company is recognized as a leader in sustainable business practices and for its high-performance culture focused on safety and operational excellence, as demonstrated by Sempra's inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and in The Wall Street Journal's Best Managed Companies. More information about Sempra is available at sempra.com and on social media @Sempra.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about the future, involve risks and uncertainties, and are not guarantees. Future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

In this press release, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "contemplate," "plan," "estimate," "project," "forecast," "envision," "should," "could," "would," "will," "confident," "may," "can," "potential," "possible," "proposed," "in process," "construct," "develop," "opportunity," "preliminary," "initiative," "target," "outlook," "optimistic," "poised," "positioned," "maintain," "continue," "progress," "advance," "goal," "aim," "commit," or similar expressions, or when we discuss our guidance, priorities, strategy, goals, vision, mission, opportunities, projections, intentions or expectations.

Factors, among others, that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement include: California wildfires, including potential liability for damages regardless of fault and any inability to recover all or a substantial portion of costs from insurance, the wildfire fund established by California Assembly Bill 1054, rates from customers or a combination thereof; decisions, investigations, inquiries, regulations, denials or revocations of permits, consents, approvals or other authorizations, renewals of franchises, and other actions, including the failure to honor contracts and commitments, by the (i) California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Comisión Reguladora de Energía, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, U.S. Internal Revenue Service and other regulatory bodies and (ii) U.S., Mexico and states, counties, cities and other jurisdictions therein and in other countries where we do business; the success of business development efforts, construction projects, acquisitions, divestitures, and other significant transactions, including risks related to (i) being able to make a final investment decision, (ii) completing construction projects or other transactions on schedule and budget, (iii) realizing anticipated benefits from any of these efforts if completed, (iv) obtaining third-party consents and approvals and (v) third parties honoring their contracts and commitments; macroeconomic trends or other factors that could change our capital expenditure plans and their potential impact on rate base or other growth; litigation, arbitrations, property disputes and other proceedings, and changes to laws and regulations, including those related to tax and trade policy and the energy industry in Mexico; cybersecurity threats, including by state and state-sponsored actors, of ransomware or other attacks on our systems or the systems of third parties with which we conduct business, including the energy grid or other energy infrastructure; the availability, uses, sufficiency, and cost of capital resources and our ability to borrow money or otherwise raise capital on favorable terms and meet our obligations, including due to (i) actions by credit rating agencies to downgrade our credit ratings or place those ratings on negative outlook, (ii) instability in the capital markets, or (iii) rising interest rates and inflation; the impact on affordability of San Diego Gas & Electric Company's (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Company's (SoCalGas) customer rates and their cost of capital and on SDG&E's, SoCalGas' and Sempra Infrastructure's ability to pass through higher costs to customers due to (i) volatility in inflation, interest rates and commodity prices, (ii) with respect to SDG&E's and SoCalGas' businesses, the cost of meeting the demand for lower carbon and reliable energy in California, and (iii) with respect to Sempra Infrastructure's business, volatility in foreign currency exchange rates; the impact of climate and sustainability policies, laws, rules, regulations, trends and required disclosures, including actions to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas, increased uncertainty in the political or regulatory environment for California natural gas distribution companies, the risk of nonrecovery for stranded assets, and uncertainty related to emerging technologies; weather, natural disasters, pandemics, accidents, equipment failures, explosions, terrorism, information system outages or other events, such as work stoppages, that disrupt our operations, damage our facilities or systems, cause the release of harmful materials or fires or subject us to liability for damages, fines and penalties, some of which may not be recoverable through regulatory mechanisms or insurance or may impact our ability to obtain satisfactory levels of affordable insurance; the availability of electric power, natural gas and natural gas storage capacity, including disruptions caused by failures in the transmission grid, pipeline system or limitations on the withdrawal of natural gas from storage facilities; Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC's (Oncor) ability to reduce or eliminate its quarterly dividends due to regulatory and governance requirements and commitments, including by actions of Oncor's independent directors or a minority member director; and other uncertainties, some of which are difficult to predict and beyond our control.

These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that Sempra has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on Sempra's website, www.sempra.com. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements.

Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Sempra Texas, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor and Infraestructura Energética Nova, S.A.P.I. de C.V. (IEnova) are not the same companies as the California utilities, SDG&E or SoCalGas, and Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Sempra Texas, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor and IEnova are not regulated by the CPUC.

None of the website references in this press release are active hyperlinks, and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, any such website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, part of this document.

SEMPRA
Table A (Continued)

RECONCILIATION OF SEMPRA ADJUSTED EARNINGS TO SEMPRA GAAP EARNINGS

Sempra Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EPS exclude items (after the effects of income taxes and, if applicable, noncontrolling interests (NCI)) in 2024 and 2023 as follows:

Three months ended March 31, 2024:

• $(41) million impact from foreign currency and inflation on our monetary positions in Mexico
• $(12) million net unrealized losses on commodity derivatives

Three months ended March 31, 2023:

• $(44) million equity losses from investment in Oncor Electric Delivery Holdings Company LLC (Oncor Holdings) related to a write-off of rate base disallowances resulting from the Public Utility Commission of Texas' (PUCT) final order in Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC's (Oncor) comprehensive base rate review
• $(109) million impact from foreign currency and inflation on our monetary positions in Mexico
• $217 million net unrealized gains on commodity derivatives
• $(17) million net unrealized losses on a contingent interest rate swap related to the initial phase of the Port Arthur LNG liquefaction project (PA LNG Phase 1 project)

Sempra Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures (GAAP represents generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America). These non-GAAP financial measures exclude significant items that are generally not related to our ongoing business activities and/or are infrequent in nature. These non-GAAP financial measures also exclude the impact from foreign currency and inflation on our monetary positions in Mexico and net unrealized gains and losses on commodity derivatives, which we expect to occur in future periods, and which can vary significantly from one period to the next. Exclusion of these items is useful to management and investors because it provides a meaningful comparison of the performance of Sempra's business operations to prior and future periods. Non-GAAP financial measures are supplementary information that should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, the information prepared in accordance with GAAP. The table below reconciles for historical periods these non-GAAP financial measures to Sempra GAAP Earnings and GAAP EPS, which we consider to be the most directly comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP.

SEMPRA
Table A (Continued)

RECONCILIATION OF SEMPRA 2024 ADJUSTED EPS GUIDANCE RANGE TO SEMPRA 2024 GAAP EPS GUIDANCE RANGE

Sempra 2024 Adjusted EPS Guidance Range of $4.60 to $4.90 excludes items (after the effects of income taxes and, if applicable, NCI) as follows:

• $(41) million impact from foreign currency and inflation on our monetary positions in Mexico
• $(12) million net unrealized losses on commodity derivatives

Sempra 2024 Adjusted EPS Guidance is a non-GAAP financial measure. This non-GAAP financial measure excludes significant items that are generally not related to our ongoing business activities and/or infrequent in nature. This non-GAAP financial measure also excludes the impact from foreign currency and inflation on our monetary positions in Mexico and net unrealized gains and losses on commodity derivatives for the three months ended March 31, 2024, which we expect to occur in future periods, and which can vary significantly from one period to the next. Exclusion of these items is useful to management and investors because it provides a meaningful comparison of the performance of Sempra's business operations to prior and future periods. Sempra 2024 Adjusted EPS Guidance Range should not be considered an alternative to Sempra 2024 GAAP EPS Guidance Range. Non-GAAP financial measures are supplementary information that should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, the information prepared in accordance with GAAP. The table below reconciles Sempra 2024 Adjusted EPS Guidance Range to Sempra 2024 GAAP EPS Guidance Range, which we consider to be the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP.

SOURCE Sempra