Sempra Generation Plant Named 'Solar Project of the Year' by Renewable Energy World

SAN DIEGO, March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra Generation's Copper Mountain Solar project, currently the largest photovoltaic solar plant in the U.S., has been awarded "Solar Project of the Year" by Renewable Energy World as part of the 2011 Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards.  

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The award was announced at the Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo currently underway in Tampa, Fla.  Copper Mountain Solar was selected out of hundreds of nominations in the category.

The 48-megawatt (MW) solar installation, located in Boulder City, Nev., about 40 miles southeast of Las Vegas, was completed in late 2010 and now generates enough renewable electricity to power about 14,000 average homes.  

"We are honored to be recognized for our work to develop Copper Mountain Solar, especially considering the number of innovative solar projects completed in the past year," said Jeffrey W. Martin, president and chief executive officer for Sempra Generation.  "Given the 330 days of intense sunshine each year and the network of transmission lines that provide access to markets throughout the West, there are few places better suited for utility-scale solar than southern Nevada.  We look forward to expanding the Copper Mountain Solar complex by hundreds of megawatts in the coming years to meet the growing demand for clean, renewable energy."

About 350 construction workers at peak installed nearly 775,000 thin-film photovoltaic solar panels at the 380-acre desert site.  

The power from Copper Mountain Solar and Sempra Generation's adjacent 10-MW El Dorado Solar plant has been sold to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) under separate 20-year contracts.  

Sempra Generation is focused on utility-scale solar development in California, Nevada and Arizona. The company's development pipeline now exceeds 1,000 MW and includes large land positions in each state that support multi-phase solar projects.  In mid-2011, the company expects to break ground on the first 150-MW phase of its Mesquite Solar complex, which is a 700-MW photovoltaic development opportunity located west of Phoenix.

The Renewable Energy World Network is one of the world's largest distributors of news and information about the alternative energy industry.  

Sempra Generation operates and maintains a fleet of natural gas-fueled power plants, and is a leading developer of solar and wind facilities that serve U.S. markets.  Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2010 revenues of $9 billion.  The Sempra Energy companies' 13,500 employees serve about 25 million consumers worldwide.

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. These statements can be identified by words like "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "potential," "target," "depends," or similar expressions, or discussions of strategies, plans or intentions. 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, and other regulatory and governmental bodies in the United States and other countries where the company does business; capital market conditions and inflation, interest and exchange rates; energy markets, including the timing and extent of changes and volatility 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 reports that Sempra Energy has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on the company's website at www.sempra.com.

The Copper Mountain Solar facility is owned and operated by Copper Mountain Solar I, LLC; the El Dorado Solar plant is owned and operated by El Dorado Energy, LLC; and the proposed Mesquite Solar facility in Arizona will be owned and operated by Mesquite Solar 1, LLC, all subsidiaries of Sempra Generation.

Sempra Generation is not the same company as the utility, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Sempra Generation is not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

www.semprageneration.com

SOURCE Sempra Generation