INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities	NOTE 4. INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES We provide additional information concerning all of our equity method investments in Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report. SEMPRA SOUTH AMERICAN UTILITIES Sempra South American Utilities owns 43 percent of two Argentine natural gas utility holding companies, Sodigas Pampeana and Sodigas Sur. As a result of the devaluation of the Argentine peso at the end of 2001 and subsequent changes in the value of the peso, Sempra South American Utilities reduced the carrying value of its investment by a cumulative total of $270 million as of March 31, 2013. These noncash adjustments, based on fluctuations in the value of the Argentine peso, did not affect earnings, but were recorded in Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss). In December 2006, we decided to sell our Argentine investments, and we continue to actively pursue their sale. We continue to evaluate the fair value of our investment based on several factors and as a result, recorded a noncash impairment charge of $10 million ($7 million after-tax) in the first quarter of 2013. The net charge is reported in Equity Earnings, Net of Income Tax on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2013. The remaining carrying value of our investment is $20 million, excluding an $80 million deferred tax asset associated with the investment. We provide additional information concerning our investments in Sodigas Pampeana and Sodigas Sur in Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report. SEMPRA RENEWABLES Sempra Renewables invested $5 million and $50 million in its renewable wind generation joint ventures in the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. RBS SEMPRA COMMODITIES RBS Sempra Commodities LLP (RBS Sempra Commodities) is a United Kingdom limited liability partnership that owned and operated commodities-marketing businesses previously owned by us. We and our partner in the joint venture, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc (RBS), sold substantially all of the partnership's businesses and assets in four separate transactions completed in 2010 and early 2011. We account for our investment in RBS Sempra Commodities under the equity method, and report our share of partnership earnings and other associated costs in Parent and Other. In April 2011, we and RBS entered into a letter agreement (Letter Agreement) which amended certain provisions of the agreements that formed RBS Sempra Commodities. The Letter Agreement addresses the wind-down of the partnership and the distribution of the partnership's remaining assets. The investment balance of $126 million at March 31, 2013 reflects remaining distributions expected to be received from the partnership in accordance with the Letter Agreement. The timing and amount of distributions may be impacted by the matters we discuss related to RBS Sempra Commodities in Note 10 under “Other Litigation.” In addition, amounts may be retained by the partnership for an extended period of time to help offset unanticipated future general and administrative costs necessary to complete the dissolution of the partnership. In connection with the Letter Agreement described above, we also released RBS from its indemnification obligations with respect to the items for which J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (JP Morgan), one of the buyers of the partnership's businesses, has agreed to indemnify us. We recorded no equity earnings or losses related to the partnership for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012. We discuss the RBS Sempra Commodities sales transactions, the Letter Agreement and other matters concerning the partnership in Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report.

INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

NOTE 4. INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES

We provide additional information concerning all of our equity method investments in Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report.

SEMPRA SOUTH AMERICAN UTILITIES

Sempra South American Utilities owns 43 percent of two Argentine natural gas utility holding companies, Sodigas Pampeana and Sodigas Sur. As a result of the devaluation of the Argentine peso at the end of 2001 and subsequent changes in the value of the peso, Sempra South American Utilities reduced the carrying value of its investment by a cumulative total of $270 million as of March 31, 2013. These noncash adjustments, based on fluctuations in the value of the Argentine peso, did not affect earnings, but were recorded in Comprehensive Income and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss).

In December 2006, we decided to sell our Argentine investments, and we continue to actively pursue their sale. We continue to evaluate the fair value of our investment based on several factors and as a result, recorded a noncash impairment charge of $10 million ($7 million after-tax) in the first quarter of 2013. The net charge is reported in Equity Earnings, Net of Income Tax on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2013. The remaining carrying value of our investment is $20 million, excluding an $80 million deferred tax asset associated with the investment. We provide additional information concerning our investments in Sodigas Pampeana and Sodigas Sur in Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report.

SEMPRA RENEWABLES

Sempra Renewables invested $5 million and $50 million in its renewable wind generation joint ventures in the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

RBS SEMPRA COMMODITIES

RBS Sempra Commodities LLP (RBS Sempra Commodities) is a United Kingdom limited liability partnership that owned and operated commodities-marketing businesses previously owned by us. We and our partner in the joint venture, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc (RBS), sold substantially all of the partnership's businesses and assets in four separate transactions completed in 2010 and early 2011. We account for our investment in RBS Sempra Commodities under the equity method, and report our share of partnership earnings and other associated costs in Parent and Other.

In April 2011, we and RBS entered into a letter agreement (Letter Agreement) which amended certain provisions of the agreements that formed RBS Sempra Commodities. The Letter Agreement addresses the wind-down of the partnership and the distribution of the partnership's remaining assets. The investment balance of $126 million at March 31, 2013 reflects remaining distributions expected to be received from the partnership in accordance with the Letter Agreement. The timing and amount of distributions may be impacted by the matters we discuss related to RBS Sempra Commodities in Note 10 under “Other Litigation.” In addition, amounts may be retained by the partnership for an extended period of time to help offset unanticipated future general and administrative costs necessary to complete the dissolution of the partnership.

In connection with the Letter Agreement described above, we also released RBS from its indemnification obligations with respect to the items for which J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (JP Morgan), one of the buyers of the partnership's businesses, has agreed to indemnify us.

We recorded no equity earnings or losses related to the partnership for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012.

We discuss the RBS Sempra Commodities sales transactions, the Letter Agreement and other matters concerning the partnership in Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for equity method investments and joint ventures. Equity method investments are investments that give the investor the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of an investee. Joint ventures are entities owned and operated by a small group of businesses as a separate and specific business or project for the mutual benefit of the members of the group.

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