SAN DIEGO, March 04, 2009 – For the second consecutive year, Sempra Energy (NYSE:  SRE) has earned the No. 2 ranking among electric and gas utilities on Fortune magazine’s annual “World’s Most Admired Companies” list, published this week. 

        Sempra Energy has ranked among the top five companies in its industry for the past three years in Fortune’s prestigious annual survey on corporate reputations. 

        “Being ranked by our peers and key stakeholders among the top companies in our sector for corporate reputation is a high honor,” said Donald E. Felsinger, chairman and chief executive officer of Sempra Energy.  “We are focused on not only delivering superior returns for our shareholders and service to our customers, but also on being environmentally responsible and making a positive imprint on the communities in which we live and work.”

        To construct its 2009 “Most Admired” list, Fortune and the management consulting firm, Hay Group, surveyed more than 4,000 corporate executives, directors and financial analysts.  Respondents at the largest U.S. corporations were asked to rank the top 10 companies in each industry segment based on nine criteria:  innovation; people management; use of corporate assets; social responsibility; quality of management; financial soundness; long-term investment; quality products/services; and global competitiveness.  Only those companies that scored the best in these criteria made the “World’s Most Admired Companies” list for their industry, according to the magazine.

        In addition to its financial success, Sempra Energy also has been widely recognized for its leadership in corporate philanthropy, and for its efforts to develop a diverse workforce and network of suppliers.  For seven consecutive years, Sempra Energy ranked among the top five of Fortune’s “America’s Best Companies for Minorities.”

        Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” is available online at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/2009/index.html.

        Sempra Energy (NYSE:  SRE), based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2008 revenues of nearly $11 billion.  The Sempra Energy companies’ 13,600 employees serve more than 29 million consumers worldwide.

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