Published:
Mexico President Felipe Calderón Dedicates Sempra Energy's New Baja California LNG Terminal

exico President Felipe Calderón, Donald E.
Felsinger, chairman and chief executive of Sempra Energy, and other
dignitaries were on-hand today to officially dedicate Sempra Energy's
(NYSE: SRE) Energía Costa Azul liquefied natural gas (LNG) receipt terminal
in Baja California, Mexico, the first LNG receipt facility on the West
Coast of North America.
In operation since May 2008, the $975 million LNG receipt terminal is
capable of processing up to 1 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas.
At the peak of construction, the project employed more than 3,000 workers.
"Over the past decade Sempra Energy has invested about $2 billion in
exico's natural gas infrastructure and has worked with elected leaders,
regulators and the citizens of Mexico in building new energy infrastructure
for the Baja California region," Felsinger said. "We welcome President
Calderón to today's historic dedication of Energía Costa Azul and look
forward to continued cooperation with Mexico on future energy projects that
address the region's needs."
Energía Costa Azul's first cargoes of imported natural gas arrived in April
and May 2008.
The LNG receipt terminal is fully contracted. Half of the storage and
send-out service has been procured by Shell International Gas Limited under
a
20-year agreement. The remaining half of the capacity at Energía Costa
Azul will be supplied from a new liquefaction facility BP and its Tangguh
LNG Partners are completing in Indonesia. Shipments from BP should begin
arriving in the second quarter of 2009.
The natural gas processed at Energía Costa Azul will be used in Baja
California and the U.S. Southwest. Natural gas from the terminal will meet
applicable Mexico and U.S. gas pipeline quality standards.
LNG is simply natural gas in liquid form. To reach a liquid state, natural
gas must be cooled. The liquid gas is then transported aboard specially
designed carriers for delivery to receipt terminals. These receipt
terminals store LNG, return it to its gaseous state and dispatch it into
pipelines for customer use. In LNG's 45-year shipping history, LNG
carriers have traveled more than 100 million miles without a major
incident.
In addition to the new Energía Costa Azul LNG receipt terminal, Sempra
Energy projects in Baja California, Mexico, include: Termoeléctrica de
exicali, a clean, efficient 625-megawatt natural gas fired power plant in
exicali; natural gas distribution companies in Mexicali, Chihuahua and La
Laguna-Durango that serve about 100,000 customers; and natural gas
transmission pipelines.
Sempra LNG develops and operates LNG receipt terminals serving North
American markets. Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500
energy services holding company with 2007 revenues of more than $11
billion. The Sempra Energy companies' 13,500 employees serve more than 29
million consumers worldwide.
Sempra LNG is not the same company as the utility, San Diego Gas & Electric
(SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and is not regulated
by the California Public Utilities Commission.
This press release contains statements that are not historical fact and
constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When the company uses words like
"believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "estimates,"
"may," "would," "could," "should," or similar expressions, or when the
company discusses its strategy or plans, the company is making
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees
of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future
results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon various
assumptions involving judgments with respect to the future and other risks,
including, among others: local, regional, national and international
economic, competitive, political, legislative and regulatory conditions and
developments; actions by the California Public Utilities Commission,
California State Legislature, California Department of Water Resources,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Federal Reserve Board, U.K. Financial
Services Authority and other regulatory bodies in the United States and
other countries; capital market conditions, inflation rates, interest rates
and exchange rates; energy and trading markets, including the timing and
extent of changes in commodity prices; the availability of electric power,
natural gas and liquefied natural gas; weather conditions and conservation
efforts; war and terrorist attacks; business, regulatory, environmental,
and legal decisions and requirements; the status of deregulation of retail
natural gas and electricity delivery; the timing and success of business
development efforts; the resolution of litigation; and other uncertainties,
all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the
control of the company. These risks and uncertainties are further
discussed in the company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission that are available through the EDGAR system without charge at
its Web site, www.sec.gov, and on the company's Web site, www.sempra.com.
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