SAN DIEGO and OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra Foundation, founded by Sempra (NYSE: SRE) (BMV: SRE), today announced a charitable contribution of more than $200,000 to GRID Alternatives to install five grid-tied solar projects on community buildings and off-grid solar projects benefitting 40 families in Mexico. The projects are intended to help improve energy access for vulnerable communities with environmental justice concerns in the country. GRID Alternatives is a national leader in providing access to clean, affordable renewable energy to economic and environmental justice communities in the U.S. and internationally. Last month, GRID Alternatives completed work on the first solar project located at a health center in Tijuana.

"We believe that access to resilient, affordable and clean energy is critical to advancing a just and prosperous world," said Lisa Alexander, director and board chair of Sempra Foundation. "Energy access is crucial to health, economic growth and prosperity, and we are proud to support a portfolio of projects that are expected to result in affordable, cleaner energy for those in need." 

The project in Mexico is part of a broader commitment by Sempra Foundation to help improve lives and build stronger, more resilient communities by expanding energy access. Sempra Foundation and GRID Alternatives identified seven communities and organizations in northern Baja California, Mexico, in need of energy assistance as they work to provide necessities for those they support. The locations include two orphanages, two Indigenous residential communities, a health center, a migrant center and a hospice serving individuals experiencing homelessness and living with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.  

"We are excited to work with Sempra Foundation on these important solar projects to help improve access to reliable electricity and reduce the burden of energy costs for organizations that are doing critical work in Mexico," said Jenean Smith, senior director of international programs for GRID Alternatives. "We are also providing hands-on training for local students pursuing clean energy careers, as pandemic safety protocols allow."

Creating a Positive Impact
In Mexico, more than 10 million residents live without access to reliable electricity. The solar installations are expected to result in:

• A total of 68 kW of grid-tied solar capacity installed at the locations in Mexico;
• An estimated 1,930 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided, the equivalent of planting and growing over 32,000 trees; and
• Solar installation training is planned for 60 local renewable energy students, at least half of them women.

About Sempra Foundation
Founded by Sempra in 2007, Sempra Foundation has long been focused on investing its energy and resources into efforts that make a real difference for people when they need it most. Sempra Foundation encourages community engagement by supporting the 19,000 employees who work for Sempra and its operating companies, helping them to deliver their energy with purpose in communities. The foundation does this by matching employee contributions of time and money to any eligible 501(c)(3) charitable organization they choose to support.

Sempra Foundation is also exploring the issue of energy access by looking to understand energy poverty at a deeper level and determine how it can help shape a vibrant future for all going forward. The foundation also has a long history of investing in relief efforts when disasters strike, including wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes and other events.

About GRID Alternatives
GRID Alternatives is a national leader in making clean, affordable solar power and solar jobs accessible to economic and environmental justice communities. Using a unique, people-first model, GRID develops and implements solar projects that serve qualifying households and affordable housing providers, while providing hands-on job training and connections to clean mobility and battery storage incentive programs. GRID has installed solar for more than 20,000 families to date and helped households and housing providers save $531 million in lifetime electricity costs, while training over 32,000 people. GRID Alternatives has eight regional offices and affiliates serving California, Colorado, the mid-Atlantic region, and Tribal communities nationwide, and serves communities in Nicaragua, Nepal and Mexico. For more information, visit gridalternatives.org.

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions with respect to the future, involve risks and uncertainties, and are not guarantees. Future results may differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other factors.

In this press release, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "forecasts," "should," "could," "would," "will," "confident," "may," "can," "potential," "possible," "proposed," "in process," "under construction," "in development," "target," "outlook," "maintain," "continue," "goal," "aim," "commit," or similar expressions, or when we discuss our guidance, priorities, strategy, goals, vision, mission, opportunities, projections, intentions or expectations.

Factors, among others, that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties relating to: California wildfires, including the risks that we may be found liable for damages regardless of fault and that we may not be able to recover costs from insurance, the wildfire fund established by California Assembly Bill 1054 or in rates from customers; decisions, investigations, regulations, issuances or revocations of permits and other authorizations, renewals of franchises, and other actions by (i) the Comisión Federal de Electricidad, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, and other regulatory and governmental bodies and (ii) states, counties, cities and other jurisdictions in the U.S., Mexico and other countries in which we do business; the success of business development efforts, construction projects and acquisitions and divestitures, including risks in (i) the ability to make a final investment decision, (ii) completing construction projects or other transactions on schedule and budget, (iii) the ability to realize anticipated benefits from any of these efforts if completed, and (iv) obtaining the consent of partners or other third parties; the resolution of civil and criminal litigation, regulatory inquiries, investigations and proceedings, and arbitrations, including, among others, those related to the natural gas leak at Southern California Gas Company's (SoCalGas) Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility; actions by credit rating agencies to downgrade our credit ratings or to place those ratings on negative outlook and our ability to borrow on favorable terms and meet our substantial debt service obligations; actions to reduce or eliminate reliance on natural gas, including any deterioration of or increased uncertainty in the political or regulatory environment for local natural gas distribution companies operating in California; weather, natural disasters, pandemics, accidents, equipment failures, explosions, acts of terrorism, information system outages or other events that disrupt our operations, damage our facilities and systems, cause the release of harmful materials, cause fires or subject us to liability for property damage or personal injuries, fines and penalties, some of which may not be covered by insurance, may be disputed by insurers or may otherwise not be recoverable through regulatory mechanisms or may impact our ability to obtain satisfactory levels of affordable insurance; the availability of electric power and natural gas and natural gas storage capacity, including disruptions caused by failures in the transmission grid or limitations on the withdrawal of natural gas from storage facilities; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on capital projects, regulatory approvals, and the execution of our operations; cybersecurity threats to the energy grid, storage and pipeline infrastructure, information and systems used to operate our businesses, and confidentiality of our proprietary information and personal information of our customers and employees, including ransomware attacks on our systems and the systems of third-party vendors and other parties with which we conduct business; expropriation of assets, failure of foreign governments and state-owned entities to honor their contracts, and property disputes; the impact at San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) on competitive customer rates and reliability due to the growth in distributed and local power generation, including from departing retail load resulting from customers transferring to Direct Access and Community Choice Aggregation, and the risk of nonrecovery for stranded assets and contractual obligations; Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC's (Oncor) ability to eliminate or reduce its quarterly dividends due to regulatory and governance requirements and commitments, including by actions of Oncor's independent directors or a minority member director; volatility in foreign currency exchange, inflation and interest rates and commodity prices and our ability to effectively hedge these risks; changes in tax and trade policies, laws and regulations, including tariffs and revisions to international trade agreements that may increase our costs, reduce our competitiveness, or impair our ability to resolve trade disputes; and other uncertainties, some of which may be difficult to predict and are beyond our control.

These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that Sempra has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on Sempra's website, www.sempra.com. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements.

Sempra North American Infrastructure, Sempra LNG, Sempra Mexico, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor and Infraestructura Energética Nova, S.A.B. de C.V. (IEnova) are not the same companies as the California utilities, SDG&E or SoCalGas, and Sempra North American Infrastructure, Sempra LNG, Sempra Mexico, Sempra Texas Utilities, Oncor and IEnova are not regulated by the CPUC.

SOURCE Sempra