SAN DIEGO, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) today announced that the company has been added to two prestigious sustainability indexes -- the Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index and the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.  

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This year marks the first time Sempra Energy has been listed on these indexes, both of which are used by investors to assess companies' long-term sustainability.

The Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index recognizes the top 20 percent of the 600 largest companies in North America that lead their respective industries in managing economic, environmental and social issues.  

The Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index highlights companies within the S&P 500 Index that have the most transparent approach to climate change disclosure, good internal data management and a strong understanding of climate change issues that may affect the company.

"We are pleased to be recognized among the top companies for our efforts in sustainability," said Neal E. Schmale, president and chief operating officer of Sempra Energy.  "We are focused on expanding the supply of clean forms of energy while continuing to improve transparency in our corporate responsibility practices."

Over the past decade, the Sempra Energy companies have made substantial investments in clean-burning natural gas facilities and renewable resources, resulting in a greenhouse-gas-emissions rate that is more than 40 percent below the national average.  Subsidiaries of the company also have plans for more than 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy development.  

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index reviews companies on both broad and industry-specific sustainability criteria, assessing performance in areas such as corporate governance, environmental policies, risk management and supply chain standards.  The index is compiled annually by Dow Jones and the Zurich-based Sustainable Asset Management Group.

The Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, produced by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), is compiled annually for some 551 institutional investors with combined assets under management in excess of $71 trillion.  CDP is an investor-funded nonprofit organization that produces the most comprehensive survey of global corporate carbon emissions.

Sempra Energy’s five principle subsidiaries are San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Gas Co., Sempra Generation, Sempra Pipelines & Storage and Sempra LNG.  Effective Jan. 1, 2012, Sempra Generation, Sempra Pipelines & Storage and Sempra LNG will be consolidated into two new operating units, Sempra International and Sempra U.S. Gas & Power.  

Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2010 revenues of $9 billion.  The Sempra Energy companies' 17,500 employees serve more than 31 million consumers worldwide.

Sempra Generation, Sempra LNG and Sempra Pipelines and Storage are not the same company as the utility, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Sempra Generation, Sempra LNG and Sempra Pipelines & Storage are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

SOURCE Sempra Energy