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INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES
3 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities

NOTE 4. INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES

We provide additional information concerning 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 previously owned 43 percent of two Argentine natural gas utility holding companies, Sodigas Pampeana and Sodigas Sur. In the first quarter of 2013, we recorded a noncash impairment charge of $10 million ($7 million after-tax) to reduce the carrying value of our investments to estimated fair value at that time. The net charge is reported in Equity Earnings, Net of Income Tax on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2013. In June 2013, we completed the sale of our Argentine investments for $13 million in cash. Our results for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 include an additional $7 million loss ($4 million after-tax) on the sale, which is also included in Equity Earnings, Net of Income Tax.

SEMPRA RENEWABLES

In May 2014, Sempra Renewables invested $109 million, subject to a purchase price adjustment, to become a 50-percent partner with ConEdison Development in four solar projects in California. The joint venture includes ConEdison Development’s CED California Holdings, LLC portfolio, which consists of the 50-MW Alpaugh 50, the 20-MW Alpaugh North and the 20-MW White River 1 facilities in Tulare County, and the 20-MW Corcoran 1 facility in Kings County (collectively, the California solar partnership). The renewable power from all of the projects has been sold under long-term contracts. Sempra Renewables and ConEdison Development each own a 50-percent interest in the four fully operating solar facilities.

Additionally, Sempra Renewables invested cash of $76 million and $5 million in its joint ventures during the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, 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, if any, in Equity Earnings, Before Income Tax on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

We received a distribution from the partnership of $50 million in May 2013. The investment balance of $73 million at September 30, 2014 reflects remaining distributions expected to be received from the partnership in accordance with provisions of a 2011 agreement between us and RBS that addresses the wind-down of the partnership and the distribution of the partnership’s remaining assets. The amount of distributions may be impacted by the matters we discuss related to RBS Sempra Commodities in Note 11 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.

We recorded no equity earnings or losses related to the partnership for any of the three-month or nine-month periods ended September 30, 2014 and 2013.