FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

NOTE 11. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The fair values of certain of our financial instruments (cash, temporary investments, accounts and notes receivable, dividends and accounts payable, short-term debt and customer deposits) approximate their carrying amounts. The following table provides the carrying amounts and fair values of certain other financial instruments at December 31:

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
(Dollars in millions)
		December 31, 2011				December 31, 2010
		Carrying		Fair		Carrying		Fair
		Amount		Value		Amount		Value
Sempra Energy Consolidated:
Investments in affordable housing partnerships(1)		$	21	$	48	$	28	$	58
Total long-term debt(2)			9,826		11,047		8,330		8,883
Due to unconsolidated affiliate(3)			―		―		2		2
Preferred stock of subsidiaries			99		106		179		166
SDG&E:
Total long-term debt(4)		$	3,895	$	4,288	$	3,305	$	3,300
Contingently redeemable preferred stock			79		86		79		78
SoCalGas:
Total long-term debt(5)		$	1,313	$	1,506	$	1,566	$	1,638
Preferred stock			22		23		22		21
(1)	We discuss our investments in affordable housing partnerships in Note 4.
(2)	Before reductions for unamortized discount (net of premium) of $16 million at December 31, 2011 and $22 million at December 31, 2010, and excluding capital leases of $204 million at December 31, 2011 and $221 million at December 31, 2010, and commercial paper classified as long-term debt of $400 million at December 31, 2011 and $800 million at December 31, 2010. We discuss our long-term debt in Note 5.
(3)	Note payable was extinguished due to the increase in our ownership of Chilquinta Energía to 100% in 2011.
(4)	Before reductions for unamortized discount of $11 million at December 31, 2011 and $9 million at December 31, 2010, and excluding capital leases of $193 million at December 31, 2011 and $202 million at December 31, 2010.
(5)	Before reductions for unamortized discount of $3 million at both December 31, 2011 and 2010, and excluding capital leases of $11 million at December 31, 2011 and $19 million at December 31, 2010.

Sempra Energy based the fair values of investments in affordable housing partnerships on the present value of estimated future cash flows, discounted at rates available for similar investments. All entities based the fair values of long-term debt and preferred stock on their quoted market prices or quoted market prices for similar securities.

Derivative Positions Net of Cash Collateral

Each Consolidated Balance Sheet reflects the offsetting of net derivative positions with fair value amounts for cash collateral with the same counterparty when management believes a legal right of offset exists.

The following table provides the amount of fair value of cash collateral receivables that were not offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2011 and 2010:

	December 31,
(Dollars in millions)	2011		2010
Sempra Energy Consolidated	$	20	$	32
SDG&E		10		25
SoCalGas		2		3

Fair Value Hierarchy

We discuss the valuation techniques and inputs we use to measure fair value and the definition of the three levels of the fair value hierarchy in Note 1 under “Fair Value Measurements.”

The three tables below, by level within the fair value hierarchy, set forth our financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2011 and 2010. We also discuss our financial assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis. We classify financial assets and liabilities in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment, and may affect the valuation of fair value assets and liabilities, and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels.

The fair value of commodity derivative assets and liabilities is determined in accordance with our netting policy, as discussed above under “Derivative Positions Net of Cash Collateral.”

The determination of fair values, shown in the tables below, incorporates various factors, including but not limited to, the credit standing of the counterparties involved and the impact of credit enhancements (such as cash deposits, letters of credit and priority interests).

Our financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 in the tables below include the following:

Nuclear decommissioning trusts reflect the assets of SDG&E's nuclear decommissioning trusts, excluding cash balances, as we discuss in Note 6. The trust assets are valued by a third party trustee. The trustee obtains prices from pricing services that are derived from observable data. We monitor the prices supplied by pricing services by validating pricing with other sources of data.
Investments include marketable securities and are primarily priced based on observable interest rates for similar instruments actively trading in the marketplace.

Commodity and other derivative positions, which include other interest rate management instruments, are entered into primarily as a means to manage price exposures. We use market participant assumptions to price these derivatives. Market participant assumptions include those about risk, and the risk inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. These inputs can be readily observable, market corroborated, or generally unobservable.

RECURRING FAIR VALUE MEASURES ― SEMPRA ENERGY CONSOLIDATED
(Dollars in millions)
		At fair value as of December 31, 2011
									Collateral
			Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Netted		Total
Assets:
Nuclear decommissioning trusts
Equity securities		$	468	$	―	$	―	$	―	$	468
Debt securities:
Debt securities issued by the U.S. Treasury and other
U.S. government corporations and agencies			92		78		―		―		170
Municipal bonds			―		77		―		―		77
Other securities			―		78		―		―		78
Total debt securities			92		233		―		―		325
Total nuclear decommissioning trusts(1)			560		233		―		―		793
Interest rate instruments			―		66		―		―		66
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery			10		1		23		―		34
Commodity contracts not subject to rate recovery			15		35		―		(2)		48
Investments			5		―		―		―		5
Total		$	590	$	335	$	23	$	(2)	$	946
Liabilities:
Interest rate instruments		$	1	$	124	$	―	$	―	$	125
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery			61		13		―		(61)		13
Commodity contracts not subject to rate recovery			1		52		―		(4)		49
Total		$	63	$	189	$	―	$	(65)	$	187

		At fair value as of December 31, 2010
									Collateral
			Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		netted		Total
Assets:
Nuclear decommissioning trusts
Equity securities		$	460	$	―	$	―	$	―	$	460
Debt securities:
Debt securities issued by the U.S. Treasury and other
U.S. government corporations and agencies			144		30		―		―		174
Municipal bonds			―		100		―		―		100
Other securities			―		25		―		―		25
Total debt securities			144		155		―		―		299
Total nuclear decommissioning trusts(1)			604		155		―		―		759
Interest rate instruments			―		34		―		―		34
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery			25		1		2		―		28
Commodity contracts not subject to rate recovery			9		66		―		(22)		53
Investments			1		―		―		―		1
Total		$	639	$	256	$	2	$	(22)	$	875
Liabilities:
Interest rate instruments		$	―	$	82	$	―	$	―	$	82
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery			60		8		―		(60)		8
Commodity contracts not subject to rate recovery			―		67		―		―		67
Total		$	60	$	157	$	―	$	(60)	$	157
(1)	Excludes cash balances and cash equivalents.

RECURRING FAIR VALUE MEASURES ― SDG&E
(Dollars in millions)
		At fair value as of December 31, 2011
									Collateral
			Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		netted		Total
Assets:
Nuclear decommissioning trusts
Equity securities		$	468	$	―	$	―	$	―	$	468
Debt securities:
Debt securities issued by the U.S. Treasury and other
U.S. government corporations and agencies			92		78		―		―		170
Municipal bonds			―		77		―		―		77
Other securities			―		78		―		―		78
Total debt securities			92		233		―		―		325
Total nuclear decommissioning trusts(1)			560		233		―		―		793
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery			9		―		23		―		32
Commodity contracts not subject to rate recovery			1		―		―		―		1
Total		$	570	$	233	$	23	$	―	$	826

Liabilities:
Interest rate instruments		$	―	$	81	$	―	$	―	$	81
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery			61		12		―		(61)		12
Total		$	61	$	93	$	―	$	(61)	$	93

		At fair value as of December 31, 2010
									Collateral
			Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		netted		Total
Assets:
Nuclear decommissioning trusts
Equity securities		$	460	$	―	$	―	$	―	$	460
Debt securities:
Debt securities issued by the U.S. Treasury and other
U.S. government corporations and agencies			144		30		―		―		174
Municipal bonds			―		100		―		―		100
Other securities			―		25		―		―		25
Total debt securities			144		155		―		―		299
Total nuclear decommissioning trusts(1)			604		155		―		―		759
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery			24		―		2		―		26
Commodity contracts not subject to rate recovery			2		―		―		―		2
Total		$	630	$	155	$	2	$	―	$	787

Liabilities:
Interest rate instruments		$	―	$	58	$	―	$	―	$	58
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery			60		2		―		(60)		2
Total		$	60	$	60	$	―	$	(60)	$	60
(1)	Excludes cash balances and cash equivalents.

RECURRING FAIR VALUE MEASURES ― SOCALGAS
(Dollars in millions)
	At fair value as of December 31, 2011
								Collateral
		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		netted		Total
Assets:
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery	$	1	$	1	$	―	$	―	$	2
Commodity contracts not subject to rate recovery		2		―		―		―		2
Total	$	3	$	1	$	―	$	―	$	4

Liabilities:
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery	$	―	$	1	$	―	$	―	$	1
Total	$	―	$	1	$	―	$	―	$	1

	At fair value as of December 31, 2010
								Collateral
		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		netted		Total
Assets:
Interest rate instruments	$	―	$	3	$	―	$	―	$	3
Commodity contracts subject to rate recovery		1		1		―		―		2
Commodity contracts not subject to rate recovery		3		―		―		―		3
Total	$	4	$	4	$	―	$	―	$	8

There were no transfers into or out of Level 1 or Level 2 for Sempra Energy Consolidated, SDG&E or SoCalGas during the periods presented.

Level 3 Information

The following table sets forth reconciliations of changes in the fair value of net trading and other derivatives classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy for Sempra Energy Consolidated and SDG&E:

LEVEL 3 RECONCILIATIONS
(Dollars in millions)
	Years ended December 31,
	2011		2010		2009
Balance as of January 1	$	2	$	10	$	27
Realized and unrealized gains (losses)		32		(16)		(31)
Allocated transmission instruments		7		8		15
Settlements		(18)		―		(1)
Balance as of December 31	$	23	$	2	$	10
Change in unrealized gains or losses relating to
instruments still held at December 31	$	17	$	(9)	$	(16)

There were no transfers into or out of Level 3 during the periods presented.

Level 3 recurring items are related to CRRs at SDG&E. These instruments are recorded at fair value based on the most current auction prices published by the California Independent System Operator (ISO). The earnings impacts of CRRs are deferred and recorded in regulatory accounts to the extent they are recoverable or refundable through rates. Upon settlement, CRRs are included in Cost of Electric Fuel and Purchased Power on the Consolidated Statements of Operations for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2011.

Non-Recurring Fair Value Measures – Sempra Energy Consolidated

We discuss non-recurring fair value measures and the associated accounting impact on our investments in RBS Sempra Commodities and Argentina in Note 4.

- Definition

This item represents the complete disclosure regarding the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments, assets, and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the Company is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risk is are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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