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INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2018
Investments [Abstract] |
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities | INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES Sempra Energy uses the equity method to account for investments in affiliated companies over which we have the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control. Equity earnings (losses) both before and net of income tax are combined and presented as Equity Losses on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. See Note 1 for a reconciliation of pretax income used to calculate our ETR. Our equity method investments include various domestic and foreign entities. Our domestic equity method investees are typically partnerships that are pass-through entities for income tax purposes and therefore they do not record income tax. Sempra Energy’s income tax on earnings from these equity method investees, other than Oncor Holdings as we discuss below, is included in Income Tax Expense on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. Oncor is a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is not included in the consolidated income tax return of Sempra Energy. Rather, only our equity earnings from our investment in Oncor Holdings (a disregarded entity for tax purposes) are included in our consolidated income tax return. A tax sharing agreement with TTI, Oncor Holdings and Oncor provides for the calculation of an income tax liability substantially as if Oncor Holdings and Oncor were taxed as corporations, and requires tax payments determined on that basis. While partnerships are not subject to income taxes, in consideration of the tax sharing agreement and Oncor being subject to the provisions of U.S. GAAP governing rate-regulated operations, Oncor recognizes amounts determined under cost-based regulatory rate-setting processes (with such costs including income taxes), as if it were taxed as a corporation. As a result, since Oncor Holdings consolidates Oncor, we recognize equity earnings from our investment in Oncor Holdings net of its recorded income tax. Our foreign equity method investees are corporations whose operations are taxable on a stand-alone basis in the countries in which they operate, and we recognize our equity in such income or losses net of investee income tax. We may be subject to additional taxes related to these foreign investments, such as taxes on cash dividends or other cash distributions, which are recorded in Income Tax Expense on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. We provide additional information concerning our equity method investments in Note 5 above and in Notes 3 and 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report. SEMPRA TEXAS UTILITY As we discuss in Note 5, on March 9, 2018, we completed the acquisition of an indirect, 100-percent interest in Oncor Holdings, which owns an 80.25-percent interest in Oncor. Due to the structural and operational ring-fencing measures in place that prevent us from having the power to direct the significant activities of Oncor Holdings and Oncor, which we discuss in the following paragraph, we account for our investment in Oncor Holdings under the equity method, which comprises our newly formed Sempra Texas Utility reportable segment. As we discuss in Note 5, reorganized EFH (renamed Sempra Texas Holdings Corp.) was merged with an indirect subsidiary of Sempra Energy and its assets and liabilities relating to non-Oncor operations have been subsumed into our parent organization. Certain existing ring-fencing measures, governance mechanisms and restrictions remain in effect following the Merger, which are intended to enhance Oncor Holdings’ and Oncor’s separateness from their owners and to mitigate the risk that these entities would be negatively impacted by the bankruptcy of, or other adverse financial developments affecting, EFH or its other subsidiaries or the owners of EFH. Sempra Energy does not control Oncor Holdings or Oncor, and the ring-fencing measures, governance mechanisms and restrictions limit our ability to direct the management, policies and operations of Oncor Holdings and Oncor, including the deployment or disposition of their assets, declarations of dividends, strategic planning and other important corporate issues and actions. These limitations include limited representation on the Oncor Holdings and Oncor boards of directors, as Oncor Holdings and Oncor will continue to have a majority of independent directors. Thus, Oncor Holdings and Oncor will continue to be managed independently (i.e., ring-fenced). As such, upon consummation of the acquisition, we account for our 100-percent ownership interest in Oncor Holdings as an equity method investment. The initial fair value of our equity method investment was $9,161 million, which includes $2,672 million of equity method goodwill related to the excess of purchase price paid over the fair value of the assets and liabilities of Oncor Holdings. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, we recognized $15 million in equity earnings, net of income tax, for the period since the acquisition date. We contributed $117 million in cash, commensurate with our ownership interest, to Oncor on April 23, 2018 in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement to enable Oncor to achieve its required capital structure calculated for regulatory purposes. Summarized income statement information for Oncor Holdings for the period from the March 9, 2018 acquisition date is as follows:
SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION – ONCOR HOLDINGS
(Dollars in millions)
| March 9 - March 31, 2018
Gross revenues | $ | 236 |
Operating expense | (185 | )
Income from operations | 51 |
Interest expense | (22 | )
Income tax expense | (7 | )
Net income | 19 |
Earnings | 15 |
SEMPRA SOUTH AMERICAN UTILITIES In the first quarter of 2017, Sempra South American Utilities recorded the equitization of its $19 million note receivable due from Eletrans, resulting in an increase in its investment in this unconsolidated joint venture. SEMPRA MEXICO Sempra Mexico invested cash of $25 million and $46 million in its unconsolidated joint ventures in the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. SEMPRA LNG & MIDSTREAM Sempra LNG & Midstream capitalized $11 million of interest in each of the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 related to its investment in Cameron LNG JV, which has not commenced planned principal operations. In the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, Sempra LNG & Midstream invested cash of $29 million and $1 million, respectively, and in April 2018 invested cash of $32 million, in this unconsolidated joint venture. GUARANTEES At March 31, 2018, we had outstanding guarantees aggregating a maximum of $4.5 billion with an aggregate carrying value of $31 million. We discuss these guarantees in Note 4 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for equity method investments and joint ventures. Equity method investments are investments that give the investor the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of an investee. Joint ventures are entities owned and operated by a small group of businesses as a separate and specific business or project for the mutual benefit of the members of the group. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2196965 + Details
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