Sempra

San Diego-based Sempra Energy senior officials said Tuesday they are moving ahead on plans for expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the Gulf Coast and building more infrastructure in Mexico. But previous plans for creating a master limited partnership (MLP) around some of the company’s profitable assets (see Daily GPI,June 17) have been put on hold due to unfavorable market conditions.

Sempra Energy’s U.S. Gas & Power (USG&P) unit has told FERC that it won’t pursue a fourth cavern at its Mississippi Hub storage facility in Simpson County, MS, asking the agency to vacate a pending application for expansion of the 22.3 Bcf facility.

San Diego-based Sempra Energy’s multi-billion-dollar portfolio in Mexico got even bigger Friday with its unit south of the border buying joint venture (JV) interests of Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) in three natural gas pipelines, an ethane pipeline, and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) pipeline and storage facilities for $1.325 billion, plus assumption of $170 million of net debt.

San Diego-based Sempra Energy has relocated its U.S. natural gas/power business unit to Houston from South Carolina in response to its growing interest in midstream projects and its stake in liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects along the Gulf Coast. Sempra U.S. Gas & Power recently moved its Greenville, SC, employees to expanded space in Texas.

San Diego-based Sempra Energy has relocated its U.S. natural gas/power business unit to Houston from South Carolina in response to its growing interest in midstream projects and its stake in liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects along the Gulf Coast. Sempra U.S. Gas & Power recently moved its Greenville, SC, employees to expanded space in Texas.

Natural gas transmission pipeline additions proposed by Sempra Energy’s two major California utilities, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and San Diego Gas and Electric Co. (SDG&E), have drawn criticism from consumer advocates who question the motivations behind requests to add more than $1 billion in gas system infrastructure.

Today’s depressed global oil prices are not a deterrent for prospective buyers of future U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports because there is a developing diversity in worldwide pricing that looks to Henry Hub gas prices — not to oil — to price long-term LNG contracts, Sempra Energy senior executives said Thursday.

Units of Sempra Energy and Mexico’s Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) have formalized an agreement to pursue development of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction project at the existing Energia Costa Azul LNG import terminal in Ensenada, Mexico, on the Pacific Coast.

San Diego-based Sempra Energy’s 81%-owned Mexican energy infrastructure company, IEnova, late Monday was named the winner in the competition to build a 1.4 Bcf/d capacity natural gas transmission line to fuel generation plants operated by Mexico’s Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE).