COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We accrue losses for a legal proceeding when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. However, the uncertainties inherent in legal proceedings make it difficult to reasonably estimate the costs and effects of resolving these matters. Accordingly, actual costs incurred may differ materially from amounts accrued, may exceed, and in some cases have exceeded, applicable insurance coverage and could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and/or prospects. Unless otherwise indicated, we are unable to reasonably estimate possible losses or a range of losses in excess of any amounts accrued.

At June 30, 2023, loss contingency accruals for legal matters, including associated legal fees and regulatory matters related to the Leak, that are probable and estimable were $222 million for Sempra, including $6 million for SDG&E and $142 million for SoCalGas. Amounts for Sempra and SoCalGas include $126 million for matters related to the Leak, which we discuss below.

SoCalGas

Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility Gas Leak

From October 23, 2015 through February 11, 2016, SoCalGas experienced a natural gas leak from one of the injection-and-withdrawal wells, SS25, at its Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility in Los Angeles County.

Litigation. In September 2021, SoCalGas and Sempra entered into an agreement with counsel to resolve approximately 390 lawsuits including approximately 36,000 plaintiffs (the Individual Plaintiffs) pending against SoCalGas and Sempra related to the Leak for a payment of up to $1.8 billion. Over 99% of the Individual Plaintiffs participated and submitted valid releases, and SoCalGas paid $1.79 billion in 2022 under the agreement. The Individual Plaintiffs who have not participated in the settlement (the Remaining Individual Plaintiffs) are able to continue to pursue their claims.

The Individual Plaintiffs’ cases were coordinated before a single court in the LA Superior Court for pretrial management under a consolidated master complaint filed in November 2017. The consolidated master complaint asserts causes of action for negligence, negligence per se, private and public nuisance (continuing and permanent), trespass, inverse condemnation, strict liability, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraudulent concealment, loss of consortium and wrongful death against SoCalGas and Sempra. The consolidated master complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages for personal injuries, lost wages and/or lost profits, property damage and diminution in property value, injunctive relief, costs of future medical monitoring, civil penalties, and attorneys’ fees. In July 2023, the LA Superior Court issued an order to 243 Remaining Individual Plaintiffs who did not respond to discovery requests to show why their cases should not be dismissed.

In addition, as of July 31, 2023, new lawsuits on behalf of approximately 388 new plaintiffs have been filed against SoCalGas and Sempra since the September 2021 settlement. These cases are being joined in the same coordinated proceeding in the LA Superior Court under the consolidated master complaint.

Four shareholder derivative actions were filed alleging breach of fiduciary duties against certain officers and certain directors of Sempra and/or SoCalGas. Three of the four shareholder derivative actions that were filed alleging breach of fiduciary duties against certain officers and certain directors of Sempra and/or SoCalGas were joined in an Amended Consolidated Shareholder Derivative Complaint filed in the same coordinated proceeding in the LA Superior Court, which was dismissed with prejudice in January 2021, and in June 2023, the Court of Appeal affirmed the dismissal. Plaintiffs have sought review in the California Supreme Court. The LA Superior Court dismissed the remaining fourth action with prejudice in November 2022. The plaintiffs have appealed this dismissal.

Regulatory Proceedings. In February 2017, the CPUC opened a proceeding pursuant to the SB 380 OII to determine the feasibility of minimizing or eliminating the use of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility while still maintaining energy and electric reliability for the region, but excluding issues with respect to air quality, public health, causation, culpability or cost responsibility regarding the Leak. The first phase of the proceeding established a framework for the hydraulic, production cost and economic modeling assumptions for the potential reduction in usage or elimination of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, as well as evaluating the impacts of reducing or eliminating the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility using the established framework and models. The next phase of the proceeding included engaging a consultant to analyze alternative means for meeting or avoiding the demand for the facility’s services if it were eliminated in either the 2027 or 2035 timeframe, and to address potential implementation of alternatives to the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility if the CPUC determines that the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility should be permanently closed. The CPUC also added all California IOUs as parties to the proceeding and encouraged all load serving entities in the Los Angeles Basin to join the proceeding.

In November 2021, the CPUC issued a decision on the interim range of gas inventory levels at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, setting an interim range of gas inventory levels of up to 41.16 Bcf. The CPUC may issue future changes to this interim range of authorized gas inventory levels before issuing a final inventory determination within the SB 380 OII proceeding.

At June 30, 2023, the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility had a net book value of $976 million. If the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility were to be permanently closed or if future cash flows from its operation were otherwise insufficient to recover its carrying value, we may record an impairment of the facility, which could be material, or we could incur materially higher than expected operating costs and/or be required to make material additional capital expenditures (any or all of which may not be recoverable in rates), and natural gas reliability and electric generation could be jeopardized.

Regulatory Proceeding – Subject to an Agreement to Resolve. In June 2019, the CPUC opened an OII (the Leak OII) to investigate and consider, among other things, whether SoCalGas should be sanctioned for the Leak and what damages, fines or other penalties, if any, should be imposed for any violations, unreasonable or imprudent practices or failure to cooperate sufficiently with SED, as well as to determine the amount of various costs incurred by SoCalGas and other parties in connection with the Leak and the ratemaking treatment or other disposition of such costs, which could result in little or no recovery of such costs by SoCalGas. In October 2022, SoCalGas executed a settlement agreement with SED and the Public Advocates Office at the CPUC to resolve all aspects of the Leak OII. The settlement agreement provides for financial penalties, certain costs that SoCalGas will reimburse, a violation of California Public Utilities Code section 451, and costs previously incurred by SoCalGas for which it will not seek recovery from ratepayers, among other provisions. The settlement agreement was filed with and is subject to approval by the CPUC.

Insurance and Accounting and Other Impacts. Since 2015, SoCalGas has incurred significant costs related to the Leak, including costs to defend against and settle civil litigation arising from the Leak. Other than insurance for directors’ and officers’ liability, we have exhausted all of our insurance for this matter. We continue to pursue other sources of insurance coverage for costs related to this matter, but we may not be successful in obtaining additional insurance recovery for any of these costs.

In the three months and six months ended June 30, 2022, SoCalGas recorded total charges of $45 million ($32 million after tax) and $137 million ($98 million after tax), respectively, in Aliso Canyon Litigation and Regulatory Matters on the SoCalGas and Sempra Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations related to the litigation and regulatory proceedings associated with the Leak.

At June 30, 2023, $126 million is accrued in Reserve for Aliso Canyon Costs and $2 million is accrued in Deferred Credits and Other on SoCalGas’ and Sempra’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. These accruals do not include any amounts beyond what has been estimated to resolve the matters that we describe above in “Litigation” and “Regulatory Proceedings,” nor any amounts that may be necessary to resolve threatened litigation, other potential litigation or other costs, in each case to the extent it is not possible to predict at this time the outcome of these actions or reasonably estimate the possible costs or a range of possible costs. Further, we are not able to reasonably estimate the possible loss or a range of possible losses in excess of the amounts accrued, which could be significant.

Sempra Infrastructure

Energía Costa Azul

We describe below certain land disputes and permit challenges affecting our ECA Regas Facility. Certain of these land disputes involve land on which portions of the ECA LNG liquefaction facilities under construction and in development are expected to be situated or on which portions of the ECA Regas Facility that would be necessary for the operation of such ECA LNG liquefaction facilities are situated. One or more unfavorable final decisions on these disputes or challenges could materially adversely affect our existing natural gas regasification operations and proposed natural gas liquefaction projects at the site of the ECA Regas

Facility and have a material adverse effect on Sempra’s business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and/or prospects.

Land Disputes. Sempra Infrastructure has been engaged in a long-running land dispute relating to property adjacent to its ECA Regas Facility that allegedly overlaps with land owned by the ECA Regas Facility (the facility, however, is not situated on the land that is the subject of this dispute), as follows:

▪A claimant to the adjacent property filed complaints in the federal Agrarian Court challenging the refusal of SEDATU in 2006 to issue title to him for the disputed property. In November 2013, the federal Agrarian Court ordered that SEDATU issue the requested title to the claimant and cause it to be registered. Both SEDATU and Sempra Infrastructure challenged the ruling due to lack of notification of the underlying process. In May 2019, a federal court in Mexico reversed the ruling and ordered a retrial, which is pending resolution.

▪In a separate proceeding, the claimant filed suit to reinitiate an administrative procedure at SEDATU to obtain the property title that was previously dismissed. In April 2021, the Agrarian Court ordered that the administrative procedure be restarted. The proceeding in the Agrarian Court has concluded; however, the administrative procedure at SEDATU may continue if SEDATU decides to reopen the matter.

In addition, an area of real property on which part of the ECA Regas Facility is situated is subject to a claim in the federal Agrarian Court, in which the plaintiff seeks to annul the property title for a portion of the land on which the ECA Regas Facility is situated and to obtain possession of a different parcel that allegedly overlaps with the site of the ECA Regas Facility. The proceeding, which seeks an order that SEDATU annul the ECA Regas Facility’s competing property title, was initiated in 2006 and, in July 2021, a decision was issued in favor of the ECA Regas Facility. The plaintiff appealed, and in February 2022, the appellate court confirmed the ruling in favor of the ECA Regas Facility and dismissed the appeal. The plaintiff filed a federal appeal against the appellate court ruling. A ruling from the Federal Collegiate Circuit Court is pending.

Environmental and Social Impact Permits. Several administrative challenges are pending before Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (the Mexican environmental protection agency) and Federal Tax and Administrative Courts, seeking revocation of the environmental impact authorization issued to the ECA Regas Facility in 2003. These cases generally allege that the conditions and mitigation measures in the environmental impact authorization are inadequate and challenge findings that the activities of the terminal are consistent with regional development guidelines.

In 2018 and 2021, three related claimants filed separate challenges in the federal district court in Ensenada, Baja California in relation to the environmental and social impact permits issued by each of ASEA and SENER to ECA LNG authorizing natural gas liquefaction activities at the ECA Regas Facility, as follows:

▪In the first case, the court issued a provisional injunction in September 2018. In December 2018, ASEA approved modifications to the environmental permit that facilitate the development of the proposed natural gas liquefaction facility in two phases. In May 2019, the court canceled the provisional injunction. The claimant appealed the court’s decision canceling the injunction but was not successful. The claimant’s underlying challenge to the permits remains pending.

▪In the second case, the initial request for a provisional injunction was denied. That decision was reversed on appeal in January 2020, resulting in the issuance of a new injunction against the permits that were issued by ASEA and SENER. This injunction has uncertain application absent clarification by the court. The claimants petitioned the court to rule that construction of natural gas liquefaction facilities violated the injunction, and in February 2022, the court ruled in favor of the ECA Regas Facility, holding that the natural gas liquefaction activities did not violate the injunction. The claimants appealed this ruling but were not successful. The claimant’s underlying challenge to the permits remains pending.

▪In the third case, a group of residents filed a complaint in June 2021 against various federal and state authorities alleging deficiencies in the public consultation process for the issuance of the permits. The request for an initial injunction was denied.

Litigation Related to Regulatory and Other Actions by the Mexican Government

Amendments to Mexico’s Electricity Industry Law. In March 2021, the Mexican government published a decree with amendments to Mexico’s Electricity Industry Law that include some public policy changes, including establishing priority of dispatch for CFE plants over privately owned plants. According to the decree, these amendments were to become effective on March 10, 2021, and SENER, the CRE and Centro Nacional de Control de Energía (Mexico’s National Center for Energy Control) were to have 180 calendar days to modify, as necessary, all resolutions, policies, criteria, manuals and other regulations applicable to the power industry to conform with this decree. However, a Mexican court issued a suspension of the amendments on March 19, 2021. In April 2022, the Mexican Supreme Court resolved an action of unconstitutionality filed by a group of senators against the amended Electricity Industry Law, but the qualified majority of eight votes out of 11 as is required in matters

involving constitutionality was not reached and the proceeding was dismissed, which means that the Mexican Supreme Court did not issue a binding precedent and the amended Electricity Industry Law remains in force. Sempra Infrastructure filed three lawsuits against the amendments to the Electricity Industry Law and, in each of them, Sempra Infrastructure obtained a favorable judgment in the lower courts, which were challenged by the CRE. Final resolution is pending. If the proposed amendments are affirmed by the lower courts or by the Mexican Supreme Court (which in these cases would only require a simple majority vote), the CRE may be required to revoke self-supply permits granted under the former electricity law, which were grandfathered when the new Electricity Industry Law was enacted, under a legal standard that is ambiguous and not well defined under the law. If such self-supply permits granted under the former electricity law are revoked, it may result in increased costs for Sempra Infrastructure and for its power consumers, may adversely affect our ability to develop new projects, may result in decreased revenues and cash flows, and may negatively impact our ability to recover the carrying values of our investments in Mexico, any of which could have a material adverse effect on Sempra’s business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and/or prospects.

Sonora Pipeline – Resolved

Guaymas-El Oro Segment. Sempra Infrastructure’s Sonora natural gas pipeline consists of two segments, the Sasabe-Puerto Libertad-Guaymas segment and the Guaymas-El Oro segment. Each segment has its own service agreement with the CFE. In 2015, the Yaqui tribe, with the exception of some members living in the Bácum community, granted its consent and a right-of-way easement agreement for the construction of the Guaymas-El Oro segment of the Sonora natural gas pipeline that crosses its territory. Representatives of the Bácum community filed a legal challenge in Mexican federal court demanding the right to withhold consent for the project, resulting in a suspension order in 2016 that prohibited construction through the Bácum community territory. Because Sempra Infrastructure did not believe the 2016 suspension order prohibited construction in the remainder of the Yaqui territory, construction was completed, and commercial operations began in May 2017.

Following the start of commercial operations, Sempra Infrastructure reported damage to the Guaymas-El Oro segment in the Yaqui territory that has made that section inoperable since August 2017 and, as a result, Sempra Infrastructure declared a force majeure event. In 2017, an appellate court ruled that the scope of the 2016 suspension order encompassed the wider Yaqui territory, which has prevented Sempra Infrastructure from making repairs to put the pipeline back in service. In July 2019, a federal district court ruled in favor of Sempra Infrastructure and held that the Yaqui tribe was properly consulted and that consent from the Yaqui tribe was properly received. Representatives of the Bácum community appealed this decision, causing the suspension order preventing Sempra Infrastructure from repairing the damage to the Guaymas-El Oro segment to remain in place until the appeals process was exhausted. Following a request by the CFE to dismiss the appeal based on the plan to re-route the portion of the pipeline that is in the Yaqui territory, in December 2022, the court of appeals reversed the federal district court’s ruling and ordered the district court to issue a new ruling that takes into account the planned re-routing of the pipeline. In February 2023, the district court issued a new ruling and resolved to dismiss the case, which was not appealed and, in March 2023, the district court declared that the case was definitively concluded.

Other Litigation

RBS Sempra Commodities

Sempra holds an equity method investment in RBS Sempra Commodities, a limited liability partnership in the process of being liquidated. In 2015, liquidators filed a claim in the High Court of Justice against RBS (now NatWest Markets plc, our partner in the JV) and Mercuria Energy Europe Trading Limited (the Defendants) on behalf of 10 companies (the Liquidating Companies) that engaged in carbon credit trading via chains that included a company that traded directly with RBS SEE, a subsidiary of RBS Sempra Commodities. The claim alleges that the Defendants’ participation in the purchase and sale of carbon credits resulted in the Liquidating Companies’ carbon credit trading transactions creating a VAT liability they were unable to pay, and that the Defendants are liable to provide for equitable compensation due to dishonest assistance and compensation under the U.K. Insolvency Act of 1986. Trial on the matter was held in June and July of 2018. In March 2020, the High Court of Justice rendered its judgment mostly in favor of the Liquidating Companies and awarded damages of approximately £45 million (approximately $57 million in U.S. dollars at June 30, 2023), plus costs and interest. In October 2020, the High Court of Justice assessed costs and interest to be approximately £21 million (approximately $27 million in U.S. dollars at June 30, 2023) as of that date, with interest continuing to accrue. The Defendants appealed and, in May 2021, the Court of Appeal set aside the High Court of Justice’s decision and ordered a retrial. In July 2022, the Supreme Court of the U.K. denied the Liquidating Companies application for permission to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision. No date has been scheduled for the retrial. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., which acquired RBS SEE and later sold it to Mercuria Energy Group, Ltd., previously notified us that Mercuria Energy Group, Ltd. has sought indemnity for the claim, and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. has in turn sought indemnity from Sempra and RBS.

Asbestos Claims Against EFH Subsidiaries

Certain EFH subsidiaries that we acquired as part of the merger of EFH with an indirect subsidiary of Sempra were defendants in personal injury lawsuits brought in state courts throughout the U.S. These cases alleged illness or death as a result of exposure to asbestos in power plants designed and/or built by companies whose assets were purchased by predecessor entities to the EFH subsidiaries, and generally assert claims for product defects, negligence, strict liability and wrongful death. They sought compensatory and punitive damages. As of July 31, 2023, two lawsuits are pending. Additionally, approximately 28,000 proofs of claim were filed, but not discharged, in advance of a December 2015 deadline to file a proof of claim in the EFH bankruptcy proceeding on behalf of persons who allege exposure to asbestos under similar circumstances and assert the right to file such lawsuits in the future. The costs to defend or resolve such claims and the amount of damages that may be incurred could have a material adverse effect on Sempra’s results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and/or prospects.

Ordinary Course Litigation

We are also defendants in ordinary routine litigation incidental to our businesses, including personal injury, employment litigation, product liability, property damage and other claims. Juries have demonstrated an increasing willingness to grant large awards, including punitive damages, in these types of cases.

LEASES

We discuss leases further in Note 16 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report.

Lessee Accounting

We have operating and finance leases for real and personal property (including office space, land, fleet vehicles, machinery and equipment, warehouses and other operational facilities) and PPAs with renewable energy, energy storage and peaker plant facilities.

SDG&E entered into an energy storage agreement that commenced in the second quarter of 2023 and expires in 2033. SDG&E recorded an operating lease right-of-use asset and operating lease liability of $101 million. Undiscounted lease payments are $9 million in 2023, $13 million in each of 2024 through 2027 and $66 million thereafter.

Leases That Have Not Yet Commenced

SDG&E has entered into four energy storage agreements, of which SDG&E expects one will commence in the second half of 2023, two will commence in 2024 and one will commence in 2025. SDG&E expects the future minimum lease payments to be $1 million in 2023, $32 million in 2024, $41 million in each of 2025 and 2026, $40 million in 2027 and $377 million thereafter until expiration in 2039.

SoCalGas has entered into a fleet vehicle agreement, under which SoCalGas expects leases will commence throughout the second half of 2023 and first quarter of 2024. SoCalGas expects the future minimum lease payments to be $1 million in each of 2024 through 2027 and $6 million thereafter until expiration in 2032.

Lessor Accounting

Sempra Infrastructure is a lessor for certain of its natural gas and ethane pipelines, compressor stations, liquid petroleum gas storage facilities, a rail facility and refined products terminals, which we account for as operating or sales-type leases.

We provide information below for leases for which we are the lessor.

LESSOR INFORMATION ON THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS – SEMPRA
(Dollars in millions)
	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Sales-type leases:
Interest income	$	1	$	2	$	3	$	4
Total revenues from sales-type leases(1)	$	1	$	2	$	3	$	4
Operating leases:
Fixed lease payments	$	76	$	70	$	156	$	140
Variable lease payments	14		3		16		4
Total revenues from operating leases(1)	$	90	$	73	$	172	$	144
Depreciation expense	$	15	$	14	$	30	$	27

(1)    Included in Revenues: Energy-Related Businesses on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENTS

We discuss below significant changes in the first six months of 2023 to contractual commitments discussed in Note 16 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report.

Natural Gas Contracts

Sempra Infrastructure’s natural gas contracts and natural gas storage and transportation commitments have increased by approximately $863 million since December 31, 2022, primarily from entering into new storage and transportation contracts in the first six months of 2023. We expect future payments to decrease by $27 million in 2023, and increase by $23 million in 2024, $33 million in each of 2025 and 2026, $30 million in 2027 and $771 million thereafter through expiration in 2059 compared to December 31, 2022.

LNG Purchase Agreement

Sempra Infrastructure has an SPA for the supply of LNG to the ECA Regas Facility. The commitment amount is calculated using a predetermined formula based on estimated forward prices of the index applicable from 2023 to 2029. Although this agreement specifies a number of cargoes to be delivered, under its terms, the supplier may divert certain cargoes, which would reduce amounts paid under the agreement by Sempra Infrastructure. At June 30, 2023, we expect the commitment amount to decrease by $841 million in 2023, $87 million in 2024, $65 million in 2025, $87 million in 2026, $98 million in 2027 and $208 million thereafter (through contract termination in 2029) compared to December 31, 2022, reflecting changes in estimated forward prices since December 31, 2022 and actual transactions for the first six months of 2023. These LNG commitment amounts are based on the assumption that all LNG cargoes, less those already confirmed to be diverted as of June 30, 2023, under the agreement are delivered. Actual LNG purchases in the current and prior years have been significantly lower than the maximum amount provided under the agreement due to the supplier electing to divert cargoes as allowed by the agreement.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

We disclose any proceeding under environmental laws to which a government authority is a party when the potential monetary sanctions, exclusive of interest and costs, exceed the lesser of $1 million or 1% of current assets, which was $48 million for Sempra, $17 million for SDG&E and $13 million for SoCalGas at June 30, 2023.