Sempra Energy today announced that the company is opening a new "Center of Excellence" in Houston, Texas. The office is expected to open later this year.
"We are committed to building the premier energy infrastructure company in North America, and creating a regional headquarters in Houston advances our business strategy," said Jeffrey W. Martin, chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy. "Texas is a remarkable market, and our Houston Center of Excellence will allow us to add hundreds of new engineering and construction positions to support our growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) business in the Gulf region, while also allowing us to showcase our company's commitment to innovation, technology and leadership within the energy industry."
The new regional headquarters is located in Uptown Houston and will include the relocation of existing employees in the greater Houston area to the new site.
"Sempra Energy has already made a strong commitment to Texas with big investments in Oncor, Sharyland and natural gas infrastructure," said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. "Their new Houston office is a symbol of confidence in Texas' energy leadership, workforce and regulatory climate. Houston is the world's premier energy community and I welcome Sempra's expansion in Texas."
In addition to expanded office space for regional business operations, the Houston Center of Excellence will showcase innovative technologies developed by Sempra companies to support today's evolving energy market. The exhibit space will display interactive technologies that improve the delivery of more secure and resilient energy supplies to customers, such as the expansion of natural gas into the electricity mix to support grid stability and integration of digital and meteorological technologies to improve power reliability, as well as virtual reality experiences connected to the Cameron LNG liquefaction-export facility.
Sempra Energy began operating in Texas more than 20 years ago. Most recently, in May 2019, the company acquired a 50% limited-partnership interest in Sharyland Utilities, LLC. Sempra Energy is also the majority owner of Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC (Oncor), the largest electric transmission and distribution utility in Texas, serving more than 10 million consumers. In 2019, Sempra Energy also supported Oncor's acquisition of InfraREIT, Inc. Through the acquisitions of Oncor, InfraREIT and Sharyland, Sempra Energy has made investments of more than $10 billion in Texas.
Additionally, Sempra Energy's subsidiary Sempra LNG is developing the proposed Port Arthur LNG export project in Jefferson County, Texas. Port Arthur LNG is a potential multibillion-dollar infrastructure development project that will enable the delivery of natural gas sourced from Texas to world markets. The project will also support manufacturing, small businesses and the community by creating thousands of jobs and contributing to the local economy. Sempra LNG develops, builds and invests in natural gas liquefaction facilities and is pursuing the development of five strategically located LNG projects in North America with a goal of delivering 45 million tonnes per annum of clean natural gas, including natural gas sourced from Texas, to the largest world markets.
Sempra Energy's mission is to be North America's premier energy infrastructure company. With more than $60 billion in total assets reported in 2018, the San Diego-based company is the utility holding company with the largest U.S. customer base. The Sempra Energy companies' more than 20,000 employees deliver energy with purpose to approximately 40 million consumers worldwide. The company is focused on the most attractive markets in North America, including California, Texas, Mexico and the LNG export market. Sempra Energy has been consistently recognized for its leadership in diversity and inclusion, and sustainability, and is a member of the S&P 500 Utilities Index and the Dow Jones Utility Index.
