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INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Investments [Abstract]  
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES
Sempra Energy uses the equity method to account for investments in affiliated companies over which we have the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control. Equity (losses) earnings both before and net of income tax are combined and presented as Equity (Losses) Earnings on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 1 for information regarding the pretax (loss) income used to calculate our ETR.
Our equity method investments include various domestic and foreign entities. Our domestic equity method investees are typically partnerships that are pass-through entities for income tax purposes and therefore they do not record income tax. Sempra Energy’s income tax on earnings from these equity method investees, other than Oncor Holdings as we discuss below, is included in Income Tax Expense on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Oncor is a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is not included in the consolidated income tax return of Sempra Energy. Rather, only our equity earnings from our investment in Oncor Holdings (a disregarded entity for tax purposes) are included in our consolidated income tax return. A tax sharing agreement with TTI, Oncor Holdings and Oncor provides for the calculation of an income tax liability substantially as if Oncor Holdings and Oncor were taxed as corporations, and requires tax payments determined on that basis. While partnerships are not subject to income taxes, in consideration of the tax sharing agreement and Oncor being subject to the provisions of U.S. GAAP governing rate-regulated operations, Oncor recognizes amounts determined under cost-based regulatory rate-setting processes (with such costs including income taxes), as if it were
taxed as a corporation. As a result, since Oncor Holdings consolidates Oncor, we recognize equity earnings from our investment in Oncor Holdings net of its recorded income tax.
Our foreign equity method investees are corporations whose operations are taxable on a stand-alone basis in the countries in which they operate, and we recognize our equity in such income or losses net of investee income tax. We may be subject to additional taxes related to these foreign investments, such as taxes on cash dividends or other cash distributions, which are recorded in Income Tax Expense on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
We provide additional information concerning our equity method investments in Note 5 above and in Notes 3 and 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report.
SEMPRA TEXAS UTILITY
As we discuss in Note 5, on March 9, 2018, we completed the acquisition of an indirect, 100-percent interest in Oncor Holdings, which owns an 80.25-percent interest in Oncor. Due to ring-fencing measures, governance mechanisms, and commitments in effect following the Merger, we do not have the power to direct the significant activities of Oncor Holdings and Oncor, which we discuss in the following paragraph. Consequently, we account for our investment in Oncor Holdings under the equity method, which comprises our Sempra Texas Utility reportable segment.
As we discuss in Note 5, reorganized EFH (renamed Sempra Texas Holdings Corp.) was merged with an indirect subsidiary of Sempra Energy and its assets and liabilities relating to non-Oncor operations have been subsumed into our parent organization. Certain existing ring-fencing measures, governance mechanisms and restrictions remain in effect following the Merger, which are intended to enhance Oncor Holdings’ and Oncor’s separateness from their owners and to mitigate the risk that these entities would be negatively impacted by the bankruptcy of, or other adverse financial developments affecting, EFH or its other subsidiaries or the owners of EFH. Sempra Energy does not control Oncor Holdings or Oncor, and the ring-fencing measures, governance mechanisms and restrictions limit our ability to direct the management, policies and operations of Oncor Holdings and Oncor, including the deployment or disposition of their assets, declarations of dividends, strategic planning and other important corporate issues and actions. These limitations include limited representation on the Oncor Holdings and Oncor boards of directors, as Oncor Holdings and Oncor will continue to have a majority of independent directors. Thus, Oncor Holdings and Oncor will continue to be managed independently (i.e., ring-fenced).
As such, upon consummation of the acquisition, we account for our 100-percent ownership interest in Oncor Holdings as an equity method investment. The initial fair value of our equity method investment was $9,161 million, which includes $2,672 million of equity method goodwill related to the excess of purchase price paid over the fair value of the assets and liabilities of Oncor Holdings.
We recognized equity earnings, net of income tax, of $114 million and $129 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and for the period since the acquisition date through June 30, 2018, respectively. We contributed $117 million in cash, commensurate with our ownership interest, to Oncor on April 23, 2018 in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement to enable Oncor to achieve its required capital structure calculated for regulatory purposes.
Summarized income statement information for Oncor Holdings for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and for the period since the acquisition date through June 30, 2018 are as follows:
SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION – ONCOR HOLDINGS
 
(Dollars in millions)
 
 
Three months ended June 30, 2018
March 9 - June 30, 2018
Operating revenues
$
1,021

$
1,257

Operating expense
(730
)
(915
)
Income from operations
291

342

Interest expense
(87
)
(109
)
Income tax expense
(45
)
(52
)
Net income
141

160

Noncontrolling interest held by TTI
(28
)
(32
)
Earnings attributable to Sempra Energy(1)
113

128


(1) 
Earnings at Oncor Holdings differ from earnings at the Sempra Texas Utility segment due to basis differences in AOCI.
SEMPRA SOUTH AMERICAN UTILITIES
In the first quarter of 2017, Sempra South American Utilities recorded the equitization of its $19 million note receivable due from Eletrans, resulting in an increase in its investment in this unconsolidated joint venture.
SEMPRA RENEWABLES
As we discuss in Note 5, on June 25, 2018, our board of directors approved a plan to sell all wind assets and investments and solar assets and investments, including our wholly owned facilities, joint venture and tax equity investments and projects in development, comprising our Sempra Renewables reportable segment. Because of our expectation of a shorter holding period as a result of this plan of sale, we evaluated the recoverability of the carrying amounts of our wind and solar equity method investments and concluded there is an other-than-temporary impairment on certain of our wind equity method investments totaling $200 million, which is included in Equity (Losses) Earnings on Sempra Energy’s Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2018. Our wind and solar investments totaling $612 million at June 30, 2018, which are also included in the plan of sale, continue to be classified as Other Investments on Sempra Energy’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, in conformity with U.S. GAAP. We discuss non-recurring fair value measures in Note 9.
SEMPRA MEXICO
Sempra Mexico invested cash of $25 million and $72 million in its unconsolidated joint ventures in the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
SEMPRA LNG & MIDSTREAM
Sempra LNG & Midstream capitalized $22 million and $24 million of interest in the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, related to its investment in Cameron LNG JV, which has not commenced planned principal operations. In the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, Sempra LNG & Midstream invested cash of $102 million and $1 million, respectively, in this unconsolidated joint venture.
GUARANTEES
At June 30, 2018, we had outstanding guarantees aggregating a maximum of $4.5 billion with an aggregate carrying value of $26 million. We discuss these guarantees in Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report.