NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]

We describe below recent accounting pronouncements that have had or may have a significant effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or disclosures.

ASU 2016-02, “Leases,” ASU 2018-01, “Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842,” ASU 2018-10, “Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases,” ASU 2018-11, “Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements,” ASU 2018-20, “Narrow-Scope Improvements for Lessors” and ASU 2019-01, “Leases (Topic 842): Codification Improvements” (collectively referred to as the “lease standard”): In 2016, the FASB began issuing the first in a series of ASUs intended to increase transparency and comparability among organizations with leasing activities. The most significant provision of the lease standard is the requirement that lessees recognize operating lease ROU assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet.

We adopted the lease standard on January 1, 2019, using the optional transition method to apply the new guidance prospectively as of January 1, 2019, rather than as of the earliest period presented. We elected the package of practical expedients that permits us to not reassess (a) whether a contract is or contains a lease, (b) lease classification or (c) determination of initial direct costs, which allows us to carry forward accounting conclusions under previous U.S. GAAP on contracts that commenced prior to adoption of the lease standard. We also elected the land easement practical expedient, which allows us to continue to account for pre-existing land easements under our accounting policy that existed before adoption of the lease standard. We did not elect the practical expedient to use hindsight in making judgments when determining the lease term.

The adoption of the lease standard did not change our previously reported financial statements. However, in accordance with the lease standard, on a prospective basis, a significant portion of finance lease costs for PPAs that have historically been presented in Cost of Electric Fuel and Purchased Power are now presented in Depreciation and Amortization Expense and Interest Expense on Sempra Energy’s and SDG&E’s statements of operations. Additionally, the adoption of the lease standard had a material impact on our balance sheets at January 1, 2019 due to the initial recognition of ROU assets and lease liabilities for operating leases. Our finance leases were already included on our balance sheets prior to adoption of the lease standard, consistent with previous U.S. GAAP for capital leases.

The following table shows the initial (decreases) increases on our balance sheets at January 1, 2019 from adoption of the lease standard.



IMPACT FROM ADOPTION OF THE LEASE STANDARD
(Dollars in millions)
	Sempra Energy Consolidated			SDG&E		SoCalGas
Assets held for sale	$	13		$	—	$	—
Sundry	(71		)	—		—
Property, plant and equipment, net	(147		)	—		—
Right-of-use assets – operating leases	603			130		116
Deferred income tax assets	(3		)	—		—
Other current liabilities	80			20		23
Long-term debt	(138		)	—		—
Deferred credits and other	436			110		93
Retained earnings	17			—		—

As a result of the adoption of the lease standard, we derecognized our corporate headquarters building lease in accordance with the transition provisions for build-to-suit arrangements. On a prospective basis, we will account for the corporate headquarters building lease as an operating lease. The initial impact is included in the above table.

We include additional disclosures about our leases in Note 11.

ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments”: ASU 2016-13 changes how entities will measure credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments. The standard introduces an “expected credit loss” impairment model that requires immediate recognition of estimated credit losses expected to occur over the remaining life of most financial assets measured at amortized cost, including trade and other receivables, loan commitments and financial guarantees. ASU 2016-13 also requires use of an allowance to record estimated credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities and expands disclosure requirements regarding an entity’s assumptions, models and methods for estimating the credit losses.

For public entities, ASU 2016-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods therein, with early adoption permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. The amendments are to be applied using a modified retrospective approach through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings at the beginning of the first reporting period in the year of adoption. We are currently evaluating the impact of the standard on our ongoing financial reporting and plan to adopt the standard on January 1, 2020.

ASU 2017-04, “Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment”: ASU 2017-04 removes the second step of the goodwill impairment test, which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation. An entity will be required to apply a one-step quantitative test and record the amount of goodwill impairment as the excess of a reporting unit’s carrying amount over its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. For public entities, ASU 2017-04 is effective for annual or interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The amendments are to be applied on a prospective basis. We plan to adopt the standard on January 1, 2020.

ASU 2018-02, “Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income”: ASU 2018-02 contains amendments that allow a reclassification from AOCI to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the TCJA. Under ASU 2018-02, an entity is required to provide certain disclosures regarding stranded tax effects, including its accounting policy related to releasing the income tax effects from AOCI. The amendments in this update can be applied either as of the beginning of the period of adoption or retrospectively as of the date of enactment of the TCJA and to each period in which the effect of the TCJA is recognized. We adopted ASU 2018-02 on January 1, 2019 and reclassified the income tax effects of the TCJA from AOCI to retained earnings.

The impact from adoption of ASU 2018-02 on January 1, 2019 was as follows:


▪	Sempra Energy: increase of $40 million to beginning Retained Earnings, $2 million to noncurrent Regulatory Liabilities and $42 million to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss;


▪	SDG&E: increase of $2 million to beginning Retained Earnings and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss; and

▪

SoCalGas: increase of $2 million to beginning Retained Earnings, $2 million to noncurrent Regulatory Liabilities and $4 million to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss.