That lawsuit is old news... LNG terminal is/was built and will begin delivering gas to SoCal next year... don't know what resolution there might or might not have been concerning allowing utilities to do long-term contracts for LNG, but since SRE owns the terminal being completed in Baja, and also owns San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), I think it is safe to assume there will be a ready and willing buyer for LNG coming into Baja -- which WILL happen with Mexico's blessing -- and there WILL be gas flowing from the LNG terminal into SoCal beginning next year...
From the SRE website:
"Energ?a Costa Azul is an $875 million project to build an LNG receipt terminal along the coast, about 14 miles north of Ensenada. LNG ships will be able to dock off the coast and unload LNG supplies, which would be stored in onshore tanks. The gas processed by this terminal will be used by electricity generating plants and diverse industries in the region via a new 45-mile gas pipeline which will be interconnected with gas pipelines already existing in the area. The project will have an initial capacity to process 1 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, with room for expansion as market demands dictate.
Baja California, Mexico has a growing need for energy, yet currently obtains all its natural gas supplies from the United States. The United States, meanwhile, is facing higher energy demands and dwindling supplies, which is placing an upward pressure on prices.
The project will not only supply additional natural gas to northern Mexico, it will also provide a new supply alternative to California and the West, where an increasing imbalance between supply and demand has led to rapidly escalating natural gas prices and electric rates beginning in 2002."
And:
The Sempra utilities
SDG&E and SoCalGas
The Sempra utilities—San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas)—serve California customers from the state's Central Valley to the Mexican border. More than a century of service in providing safe and reliable natural gas and electricity gives the Sempra utilities their unique ability to meet the region's energy needs.
San Diego Gas & Electric
San Diego Gas & Electric is a full-service energy utility that has been supplying natural gas and electrical service to the San Diego region since 1881.
SDG&E now serves 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 825,000 natural gas meters.
The utility's service area spans 4,100 square miles and serves customers in more than 125 communities from Orange County to the Mexican border.
Southern California Gas Co.
SoCalGas Co. has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for nearly 140 years.
It's the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, serving a population of 20.1 million consumers through 5.6 million natural gas meters in more than 500 communities.
The company's service territory covers about 20,000 square miles of diverse terrain throughout Central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. |
