(Sempra, 4.May.2023) — Sempra (NYSE: SRE) (BMV: SRE) today announced first-quarter 2023 earnings of $969mn, or $3.07 per diluted share, compared to first-quarter 2022 earnings of $612mn, or $1.93 per diluted share. On an adjusted basis, the company’s first-quarter 2023 earnings were $922mn, or $2.92 per diluted share, compared to $924mn, or $2.91 per diluted share, in 2022.
“At Sempra, our strategy is focused on building new energy networks right here in North America that improve energy security and support decarbonization—and we are seeing significant opportunities across all three growth platforms,” said Jeffrey W. Martin, chairman and chief executive officer of Sempra. “Our strategy, together with our commitment to safety, operational excellence and disciplined capital allocation, positions us to deliver another strong year of financial performance.”
The reported financial results reflect certain significant items as described on an after-tax basis in the following table of GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America) earnings, reconciled to adjusted earnings, for the first quarter of 2023 and 2022.
Earnings Guidance
Sempra is updating its full-year 2023 GAAP earnings per common share (EPS) guidance range of $8.76 to $9.36, affirming its full-year 2023 adjusted EPS guidance range of $8.60 to $9.20 and announcing its full-year 2024 EPS guidance range of $9.10 to $9.80. The company is also affirming its projected long-term EPS growth rate of 6% to 8%.
Capital Investment Opportunities
Sempra sees robust opportunities for significant capital investments across all three growth platforms over the next five years, with a goal of improving safety, bolstering reliability and supporting the delivery of cleaner sources of energy. To capture these opportunities, the company is announcing a new five-year capital plan of $40bn for 2023-2027. The referenced capital plan only includes Sempra’s proportionate ownership share of capital expenditures.
“This is an exciting time for our company. Continued strong execution across our three growth platforms, together with significant projected rate base growth, support our positive view of the earnings power of our business going forward,” said Trevor Mihalik, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Sempra. “As we look to the future, our five-year capital plan contemplates the deployment of approximately $40bn to help ensure safe and reliable operations and support growing demand while advancing the energy transition in the markets we serve.”
Sempra California
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. (SDGE) and Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) continue to invest in safety, reliability and technology innovation that align with the state’s decarbonization goals. Sempra’s 2023-2027 capital plan targets $21.4bn in investments to better serve customers at its California utilities, improve operational safety and reliability and help drive electrification and decarbonization across multiple sectors of the economy.
Throughout the quarter, SDGE and SoCalGas advanced strategic programs to modernize their energy networks and advance climate resiliency and access to cleaner energy. In March, SDGE achieved a major milestone in its Valley Center transmission line upgrade project, completing the placement of five miles of transmission lines underground and hardening of existing overhead transmission. Earlier in the quarter, SoCalGas unveiled its H2 Innovation Experience, North America’s first renewable hydrogen microgrid and home.
Together with California’s other investor-owned utilities, SDGE recently submitted a proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to reform how consumers are charged for electricity and transmission and distribution infrastructure. The proposal is designed to advance affordability for low-to-mid income customers and make bills more stable and transparent. This comes in response to a new California state law requiring the CPUC to adopt a fixed-price fee structure to help make electricity more affordable and support broader decarbonization across the state. A proposed decision is expected in early 2024.
Sempra Texas
In April, Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC (Oncor) received a final order from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) in its base rate review proceeding, which preserved Oncor’s equity layer at 42.5% and updated its return on equity to 9.7%. Oncor estimates the PUCT’s final order will result in an average increase of approximately $79mn over the 2021 test year.
Subsequently, Oncor announced its five-year capital plan of $19 billion to support strong demand growth, reliability and resiliency in one of the fastest growing markets in the country.
Oncor continues to advance critical transmission and distribution infrastructure projects to support population growth in Texas and increase reliability for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market. At the end of the first quarter of 2023, Oncor had approximately 650 active generation and retail transmission point-of-interconnection (POI) requests in queue, representing a 41% increase as compared to active generation and retail transmission POI requests in queue on 31 March 2022. Additionally, Oncor connected 17,000 new premises to the ERCOT grid in the first quarter and constructed or upgraded 257 miles of distribution and transmission power lines in the first quarter of 2023.
Sempra Infrastructure
During the first quarter, Sempra Infrastructure had strong operational performance across its three integrated business lines — clean power, energy networks and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and net-zero solutions — and delivered strong financial results.
Notably, Sempra Infrastructure Partners reached a positive final investment decision for the development, construction and operation of the Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 project in Jefferson County, Texas. The company also announced a joint venture with an affiliate of ConocoPhillips, which has acquired a 30% non-controlling interest in Phase 1, and an agreement to sell to an affiliate of KKR an indirect, non-controlling interest in Phase 1, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. As such, Sempra Infrastructure Partners is targeting a 25% indirect ownership interest in Phase 1 under this project-level equity partnership. The $13bn total estimated capital expenditures at the project are being financed with $6.8bn of non-recourse project-level debt and $6.2bn of project-level equity.
Progress also continues at Energía Costa Azul LNG Phase 1 where construction at the project logged over six million hours worked with no lost time incidents and remains on track to reach commercial operations by summer of 2025.
Earlier this quarter, the Cameron LNG Phase 2 development project received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for modifications to its expansion permit. Importantly, the modifications approved by the FERC include utilizing electric drive motors to replace gas turbine drives, which is expected to lower the overall direct onsite emissions of Phase 2 compared to the previously authorized project, as well as allow the tie-in of carbon capture and sequestration equipment into the existing Phase 1 facility to support further reductions in overall plant emissions.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Non-GAAP financial measures include Sempra’s adjusted earnings, adjusted EPS and adjusted EPS guidance range. See Table A for additional information regarding these non-GAAP financial measures.
Internet Broadcast
Sempra will broadcast a live discussion of its earnings results over the internet today at 12 p.m. ET with the company’s senior management. Access is available by logging onto the Investors section of the company’s website, sempra.com/investors. The webcast will be available on replay a few hours after its conclusion at sempra.com/investors.
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