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Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) today reported 2012 earnings of $859 million, or $3.48 per diluted share, compared with $1.3 billion, or $5.51 per diluted share, in 2011.

Earnings in 2012 included $239 million in non-cash charges related to a write-down on Sempra U.S. Gas & Power's 25-percent ownership stake in the Rockies Express Pipeline. The charges were partially offset by the receipt of a $25 million after-tax cash payment in the fourth quarter 2012 from Kinder Morgan related to the sale of its 50-percent stake in the Rockies Express Pipeline. In 2011, Sempra Energy benefited from a gain of $277 million, reflecting the write-up in value of Sempra International's South American utility investments. Excluding the net write-down in 2012 and gain in 2011, Sempra Energy's adjusted earnings were $1.07 billion, or $4.35 per diluted share, in 2012, compared with $1.05 billion, or $4.36 per diluted share, in 2011.

Sempra Energy's fourth-quarter 2012 earnings were $293 million, or $1.18 per diluted share, compared with fourth-quarter 2011 earnings of $285 million, or $1.18 per diluted share. Excluding the receipt from Kinder Morgan, adjusted earnings in the fourth quarter 2012 were $268 million, or $1.08 per diluted share.

"In 2012, we met our key operational and financial goals and made significant progress in executing on our strategy," said Debra L. Reed, chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy. "Our domestic and international utilities performed well; San Diego Gas & Electric put its Sunrise Powerlink transmission line into service; we were awarded bids in Mexico to construct and own approximately $1 billion of natural gas pipelines; we more than doubled our renewable energy generation portfolio; and we completed major regulatory filings for our Cameron LNG export project. We remain on track with our goal to deliver compound annual earnings growth of 6 percent to 8 percent, along with an increased dividend."

Last week, Sempra Energy's board of directors approved a 5-percent increase in the dividend to $2.52 per share from $2.40 per share, on an annualized basis.

In December 2012, following successful completion of the pre-filing process at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the company filed its formal FERC permit application seeking approval to begin construction of the Cameron LNG liquefaction and export terminal in Louisiana. The company expects to receive all necessary regulatory permits by the end of this year for the project, which is expected to begin operations in 2017 and process up to 1.7 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas for export to international markets.

CALIFORNIA UTILITIES As previously reported, the revenue requirement established in the General Rate Cases for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2012. Until the California Public Utilities Commission reaches a final decision, both utilities are recording revenues based on 2011 authorized levels, as adjusted for the recovery of incremental wildfire insurance premiums. SoCalGas and SDG&E will record the cumulative change resulting from the decision, retroactive to the beginning of 2012, in the quarter a final decision is approved.

San Diego Gas & Electric Earnings for SDG&E increased to $484 million in 2012 from $431 million in 2011. In the fourth quarter 2012, SDG&E earned $110 million, compared with $158