BajaNomad - LNG Plant Land Troubles

LNG Plant Land Troubles

ElFaro - 6-17-2010 at 11:34 AM

Check this out...even the "Big Boys" can't seem to get away from property ownership demons in Mexico / Baja.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sempra-energys-mexic...

DENNIS - 6-17-2010 at 11:47 AM

I'm coming to the conclusion that it's impossible to do anything in Mexico that won't be seen by somebody as illegal. Why does business even try?

paul r - 6-17-2010 at 11:59 AM

... oh what fun!!??!!...

Funny stuff

Dave - 6-17-2010 at 12:14 PM

Although I doubt that Mexico will allow something as trivial as 'environmental regulations' stand in the way of a lucrative multinational business deal.

You can bet that something will be worked out.

irenemm - 6-17-2010 at 12:19 PM

Wow
now I don't feel so bad. We are just little guys that got screwed by the way things are done here.
I guess there lawyers forgot to pay off the right people.
Learning experience

Udo - 6-17-2010 at 12:35 PM

I had been traveling that stretch of road for several years, and had always seen a little house trailer on the property along with an outhouse. Then, one day, about 5 years ago, the trailer was gone, construction equipment replaced it as well as a huge amont of parts for gas storage.
I was under the impression that the job had been completed.
However...
it looks like NOT

I didn't think that Mexican nationals could go through the same tribulations as Americans do when it comes to property ownership.

mtgoat666 - 6-17-2010 at 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ElFaro
Check this out...even the "Big Boys" can't seem to get away from property ownership demons in Mexico / Baja.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sempra-energys-mexic...

not a news article. is a press release by one litigant,... just spin doctoring.

the LNG plant will not close

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 6-17-2010 at 01:23 PM

Hola, please note: " Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based energy company "

they are not a mexican company according to the release but must be a very large organization nonetheless.

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

torch - 6-17-2010 at 06:08 PM

Is this the terminal south of Baja Mar? I never got to surf "georges". (semi secret surf spot). :no:

pepino - 6-17-2010 at 06:19 PM

Another land dispute, who would have guessed? Sempra did kind of step on it's ---- for not filing those SEC reports though.

Kill all the lawyers??

:lol:

DENNIS - 6-17-2010 at 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by torch
Is this the terminal south of Baja Mar?

Thats the one.

Udo - 6-17-2010 at 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by torch
Is this the terminal south of Baja Mar?

For those not too familiar with the area...
Most of us have seen the series of multi-colored buildings at the dangerous curve, about 15 miles north of Ensenada. This are is called El Mirador. The plant is about a mile north of there and can be fully seen if you stop at El Mirador and walk to the edge of the cliffs.

DENNIS - 6-17-2010 at 07:39 PM

The place is huge. At night, from my place across the water, it looks like a city with a million lights.

bajabass - 6-17-2010 at 07:57 PM

The place is huge. One building looks like a resort hotel. The docking system is huge. 100 yard long pier, horizontal to the beach, 100+ feet deep on the outside. We know it holds fish, but they keep chasing us off. :yes:

Between the gas plant and the tuna pens, they have ruined the fishing between La Salina and Sausipuedes!! :fire:

noproblemo2 - 6-17-2010 at 08:02 PM

One of our renters last year was an Engineer there, he said more construction was beginning the first of this year and within the first few months of operation the place had already paid for itself. Also mentioned the mansion being built for the execs when they come down which is ocean front with everything imaginable on the estate to include its own helipad........

[Edited on 6-18-2010 by noproblemo2]

chnlisle - 6-17-2010 at 11:12 PM

Quote:

Refuta Sempra señalamientos de “vividores”

TIJUANA.-En respuesta al comunicado de prensa distribuido el día de hoy por Gateway Media Partners en representación de Ramón Eugenio Sánchez Ritchie, Sempra LNG, empresa subsidiaria de Sempra Energy, emitió la siguiente declaración por parte de Darcel L. Hulse, Presidente de Sempra LNG.

“Ramón Eugenio Sánchez Ritchie ha desplegado una larga campaña financiada por terceros para desacreditar a Sempra. Él y quienes lo financian han aumentado los ataques a través de los medios de comunicación y están intentando hacer uso indebido del sistema judicial, político y regulatorio de México con el objetivo final de extraer dinero de la compañía”.

“Las imputaciones contenidas en un comunicado de prensa emitido el día de hoy que establecen que una disputa por un terreno impacta la operación de nuestra terminal de gas natural licuado en Ensenada, México son absolutamente falsas”.

“La propiedad en disputa fue adquirida por la empresa mucho tiempo después de que se obtuvieron los permisos para la terminal de GNL y dicha propiedad no se requiere por ningún motivo para la operación de la misma”.

“Independientemente del resultado final de la disputa por este terreno, éste no tendrá ningún efecto sobre nuestra autorización y capacidad de operar la terminal de GNL.”

http://www.enlineatijuana.com/ver-notas.php?id=2505&guia...

Quote:

Sempra rejects accusations of "freeloaders"

TIJUANA .-In response to the press release distributed today by Gateway Media Partners on behalf of Ramon Eugenio Sánchez Ritchie, Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, issued the following statement from Darcel L. Hulse, president of Sempra LNG.

"Ramón Sánchez Eugenio Ritchie has made a long campaign financed by others to discredit Sempra. He and those who fund the attacks have increased through the media and are trying to misuse the judicial system, political system and regulations of Mexico with the ultimate goal of extracting money from the company."

"The charges contained in a press release today stating that a dispute over a land parcel impacts the operation of our liquefied natural gas terminal in Ensenada, Mexico are absolutely false."

"The property in dispute was acquired by the company long after the permits were obtained for the LNG terminal and the property is not required for any reason to operate it."

"Whatever the final outcome of the dispute over this land parcel, it will have no effect on our authority and ability to operate the LNG terminal."

UPDATE: Mexican Court Rules To Suspend Sempra LNG Permits

BajaNews - 6-22-2010 at 06:17 AM

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/utilitie...

June 21, 2010
By Cassandra Sweet
Dow Jones Newswires

SAN FRANCISCO - Sempra Energy (SRE) said Monday that a Mexican federal court has ordered government agencies to suspend the company's operating permits for its liquefied natural gas terminal there, signaling that a land dispute between Sempra and a local rancher may not be moving in the company's favor.

In an order dated Thursday, a Mexican federal district court directed Mexican government agencies to temporarily suspend authorizations for the operation of Sempra's liquefied natural gas terminal near Ensenada, Mexico, pending further legal proceedings.

Kathleen Teora, a spokeswoman for Sempra's LNG unit, said Monday that although the company is aware of the court order, it hasn't received an official copy of the order.

"We'll continue operations until we hear otherwise," Teora said.

Sempra's Costa Azul LNG import terminal near Ensenada, which has been operating since 2008, can process up to one billion cubic feet of natural gas a day.

San Diego-based Sempra has been locked in a legal battle with Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie over ownership of a 250-acre parcel of land near the LNG terminal that Sempra bought in 2006 but that Ritchie claims belongs to him. Sempra has said that it doesn't need the land to operate the LNG terminal. The company also has accused Ritchie of pursuing ownership claims to extract money from the company.

Ritchie has insisted that Sempra needs the land to operate the LNG terminal, and that the company has wronged him and should pay monetary damages to compensate him for it. Ritchie and his lawyers have been pushing for Sempra to shut down the plant. It was unclear how the court order will affect Sempra's LNG terminal, which provides natural gas to a government-owned electric utility.

Ritchie spokesman C.E. Cortes said Monday that Mexican authorities are due to order Sempra to shut the LNG facility.

The order was issued in response to a petition Ritchie filed that accused Sempra of operating the LNG terminal in violation of Mexican environmental regulations.

Teora said court officials in Ensenada allowed a Sempra attorney to view the order but didn't allow him to make a copy of the order.

After a four-year criminal trial, a Mexican court tribunal ruled May 25 that Ritchie is the rightful holder of the disputed land and ordered the property be restored to his possession. Sempra is still pursuing the ownership case in Mexican civil court.

The dispute has raised the ire of some Mexican newspapers, which have hailed the May 25 decision as a local victory. A May 30 article in Mexican newspaper La Jornada said that Sempra "committed real estate fraud" that was "unmasked by a tribunal."

Sempra provides the government-owned utility Comision Federal de Electricidad with about 130 million cubic feet a day of gas from the LNG terminal under a 15-year contract worth an estimated $1.4 billion over the life of the contract, according to Sempra.

In addition to its LNG business, Sempra owns utilities San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas, a power-generation unit, a gas-pipeline business, and half of a Commodities-trading joint venture with Royal Bank of Scotland Plc (RBS, RBS.LN) called RBS Sempra Commodities. The two partners are in the process of selling the joint venture.

Sempra shares fell 1.5% to close at $49.33.

Saying it lacks official court order, Sempra keeps Mexican LNG terminal open

BajaNews - 6-22-2010 at 06:20 AM

http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_a23b1588-e0c5-51d8-a...

By ERIC WOLFF

Sempra LNG plans to continue operations at its Baja California natural gas terminal, at least until it receives an official version of a Mexican court's restraining order, Sempra officials said Monday.

On Thursday, a Mexican court issued an order telling Sempra LNG, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra Energy, to stop operations at its Costa Azul natural gas terminal until a hearing can be held Tuesday. But Sempra never received a formal copy of the order, and its attorneys were denied a formal copy when they went to the courthouse, said Kathleen Corbin Teora, a Sempra LNG spokeswoman.

Sempra opened the Costa Azul terminal in August 2009. Gas tankers from overseas deliver liquified natural gas to the terminal, where it's warmed and pumped in gas form through Mexican pipelines into California.

The order stems from an ownership dispute with Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie, a Mexican cattle rancher who owns the property immediately adjacent to the natural gas plant, according to C.E. Cortes, a spokesman for Ritchie.

Cortes said the environmental assessment for the project calls for a safety buffer zone around the plant, which is why the court issued its order to stop operations.

Cortes said Sempra fraudulently took the property from Ritchie in 2006, but that Ritchie won a case in Mexican court against the energy company in 2009 that entitled Ritchie to take the property back.

Teora said the buffer zone issue did not apply to the parcel in dispute, and that the issue was moot, because the Mexican government lifted the requirement.

"This challenge is based on a claim to possession of the parcel of the land. All the permits were issued before Sempra LNG (was built). None were conditioned on ownership of the parcel," Teora said.

Teora said Sempra had a ship in port Monday, and that the company would continue to unload natural gas as normal.

BajaNews - 6-22-2010 at 06:24 AM

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE65K1LM20100621

by Daniel Fineren

LONDON, June 21 (Reuters) - Sempra Energy (SRE.N) will keep its Costa Azul liquefied natural gas terminal in Mexico running unless it is told to suspend operations by the government, a spokeswoman for the U.S.-based company said on Monday.

Sempra LNG has been engaged in a long-running dispute over its facility in Baja California, northern Mexico, which sends gas by north of the U.S. border by pipeline to California.

It said on Monday it had learned the claimant, Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie, had won a Baja California state court order directing Mexican regulators to suspend the plant's permits.

"The order was issued without notice to us and in fact we were denied a formal copy by the court and we weren't given any opportunity to appear, to argue against it, or otherwise respond," a spokeswoman for the company told Reuters.

"Until such time as we are formally told that the permits have been suspended we will continue operations ... We currently have a ship in port right now so it would be very difficult to shut down the plant."

The spokeswoman said Sempra expected Mexican federal authorities to overturn the order, which she said could threaten the safe operation of the facility and gas supply. None of the permits for the plant were conditional on the ownership of the disputed plot, she said.

Costa Azul, which began operations in August 2009, receives about three cargoes a month from the Tangguh plant in Indonesia.

The Tangguh Foja LNG tanker, which has the capacity to hold 154,800 cubic meters of super-cooled gas, arrived at the terminal on the Pacific coast of Mexico on Sunday, according to AIS Live.

wessongroup - 6-22-2010 at 07:49 AM

Sounds like Mexico wants their land, you may use it under a lease.. but one will not own Mexican ocean front property... even if your name is Sempra Energy

The "deal" was a bit curious from the start.. not that it would make work for Mexican folks, but that they had "sold" the land or that was the way it had been reported in an article I read a while back..

Understood that Sempra Energy did not want to go through the hopes in the States to put this in at the Long Beach or Los Angeles Harbor in the County Los Angeles within the State of California with its Cal EPA plus the Fed EPA.. so Baja was a jackpot.. west cost delivery, with a facility for distribution to the United states.. such a deal..

Saw the plant when looking at property in Bajamar.. the seemed a bit too close for me.. if that plant were to go up... well, don't think I would want to be within 10 miles of it.. air miles to Bajamar was 2.68 ....

But, hey.... they have procedures in place I'm sure.. and what could possibly go wrong.. it's state of the art, built by ................... with ......... and .........

DENNIS - 6-22-2010 at 08:22 AM

Ahhh Yessss......It brings back memmories:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_oil_expropriation

Costa Azul LNG Receiving Terminal

bajarah - 6-28-2010 at 03:30 PM

Hello Everyone!

Good to be with you folks!

This is my first post on this forum. Looking forward to reading/posting on the other forums.

Interesting set of events lately concerning this facility.
I operated SDGE's twin LNG plant complex, in Chula Vista, when it existed 'way back in the early 70's

I have talked with our Mexican friends and neighbors in Ensenada over the years I am not suprised how things are going right now with Mexico/Sempra. From what I read, Sempra should take Mexico seriously and at least respond to the court .. otherwise PEMEX might get into a new line of business.

DENNIS - 6-28-2010 at 03:37 PM

Good to see you here, bajarah.
Is that a real possibility with the current situation? I mean, a Pemex take-over? Another oil industry expropriation?

bajarah - 6-28-2010 at 03:59 PM

In Mexico, I would say that is a good possiblity...

A plant like this is not something that someone not in the oil and gas industry has any business fooling around with.

If things go badly for sempra, the only folks I can see that have even a remote chance of even shutting the place down ( let alone run the place ) are specialized workers that Pemex might have.

That is what I see may well happen

It's about money

Dave - 6-28-2010 at 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajarah
Sempra should take Mexico seriously and at least respond to the court .. otherwise PEMEX might get into a new line of business.

Regardless of court decisions or environmental rulings , Mexico will not expropriate or shut down the plant. It will continue to operate until an accommodation can be reached.

wilderone - 6-29-2010 at 08:25 AM

So pay him for his land. sheesh. It's the lawyers who are the crooks. Incompetent representation, acting in bad faith, inadequate due diligence, put Sempra at risk - the exact opposite of what they were hired to do. Sempra should sue them.

Mexican appeals court rules in favor of Sempra

BajaNews - 6-30-2010 at 01:13 AM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/28/mexican-appea...

June 28, 2010

San Diego-based Sempra Energy said Monday that a Mexican appeals court has ruled in its favor, saying a property dispute should not close a natural-gas import terminal 15 miles from Ensenada.

The ruling overruled a lower-court decision ordering Mexican environmental agencies to revoke the permits for a liquefied natural gas plant known as Energia Costa Azul, Sempra said in a statement.

The lower court acted at the request of Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie, who said Sempra had improperly taken his land and could not operate the LNG plant because the parcel is needed as a buffer zone.

Sempra said it can operate the plant without Sanchez’s property because it reconfigured its layout before construction and a requirement for the setback was removed.

The lower-court judge who issued the ruling is scheduled to hear arguments over operating permits July 6, Sempra said.

Man says company paid police to arrest him, bulldozed Ensenada home

BajaNews - 7-22-2010 at 09:40 PM

http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_79ec8820-ac3b-57dc-a...

By TERI FIGUEROA
July 22, 2010

A Mexican citizen has sued Sempra Energy, saying the San Diego company paid Mexican officials to jail him, evict him and his family from their Baja home, and then bulldozed the place so it could build a massive power plant.

Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie filed his suit against Sempra in U.S. District Court in San Diego on Tuesday, claiming fraud, trespass, assault and battery, and false imprisonment.

The filing is the latest salvo in a battle that has played out in Mexican courts ---- which in March ordered the property returned to Sanchez, according to the suit.

The suit said the disputed property serves as a legally required setback around a Sempra liquid natural gas plant, which is a source of energy for California and Mexico.

Sempra LNG spokeswoman Kathleen Teora said the site does not serve as a setback because the Mexican government lifted the requirement.

Teora said Sanchez was a squatter and "has never shown any evidence" that he has rights to the land.

Sanchez's attorney, Kirk Hulett, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

According to the federal suit Sanchez filed in San Diego this week, Sanchez has owned the 672-acre property, which sits 15 miles north of Ensenada, since 1972.

The suit states that Sempra, which owns the regulated utilities San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co., talked to Sanchez about buying the land in 2001, and thus knew that he was the rightful landowner when they struck a deal with someone else to buy some of the land in 2006.

Sanchez said the company paid Mexican officials $16,000 to raid his home to wrongfully arrest and evict him as an illegal squatter.

Mexicorn - 7-22-2010 at 09:43 PM

Uh oh SDGE prices are about to rise.

Mexican man sues Sempra over Ensenada LNG plant

BajaNews - 7-22-2010 at 10:15 PM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/22/mexican-man-s...

By Onell R. Soto
July 22, 2010

A Mexican man locked in a land dispute with Sempra Energy over its LNG plant near Ensenada is taking the fight to San Diego federal court.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, Ramón Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie claims that a subsidiary of the San Diego-based energy giant illegally took more than 600 acres belonging to him and made false statements that led to his arrest.

"Sempra Energy and Mexican officials executed an attack upon Plaintiff's land and person," Sanchez said in the lawsuit, alleging that Sempra and Mexican officials conspired against him.

He also claims that Sempra bribed Mexican officials and had people lie under oath in Mexican court proceedings.

Sempra denies the bribery and perjury allegations.

"That's absolutely false," said Sempra spokeswoman Kathleen Corbin Teora.

She said the company legally bought the land that Sanchez claims is his and has not acted illegally in the construction of the plant, which was dedicated in 2008.

"He's a squatter," Teora said. "So we're just going by the fact that we legally purchased this property from the rightful owners that had the title to property."

She said Sanchez and his financial backers are using the courts in an effort to extract money from Sempra.

"Sempra LNG will continue to vigorously defend its investment in the Energia Costa Azul LNG terminal by whatever legal means are necessary, and will protect our right to own the property," she said

The Energia Costa Azul terminal is the first on the west coast of North America that can accept LNG, natural gas that has been cooled to 260 degrees below zero, taking up 600 times less space than at room temperature and can be shipped by boat.

The plant has contracts to import gas from Indonesia and Russia, which is then used in the United States and Mexico.

The case has led to protracted litigation in Mexico.

At Sanchez's request, a Mexican court in May ordered environmental agencies to revoke the plant's permits. An appeals court later put a stop to that ruling while it weighs the merits of his claims.

The dispute centers on who owns the land. Sanchez, who describes himself as a rancher, says he acquired the land in 1972 and continues to own it. He says a sale in 1992 to two people, Elodia Gómez Castañón and Armando Navarro Peña, was not done correctly.

Sempra says it bought the land from Gómez and Navarro's representatives in 2006.

Sanchez said he was forcibly removed from the property that year, and his house was flattened as Sempra began construction. He said he was wrongly jailed after Sempra paid Mexican officials $16,000 in cash.

Sanchez claims his land is needed for a buffer zone to operate the plant. Sempra says it is not. It says it owns the land, but even if it doesn't, the plant can operate without violating its permits.

Sempra is the parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric.

Sanchez claims Sempra violated California law against unfair business practices and is liable for false imprisonment, assault, trespass, battery, fraud and negligence, among other charges. He wants a judge to order Sempra to pay to reimburse him for his losses, plus any profits it may have gotten from operation of the plant.

His San Diego lawyer, Kirk Hulett, said he couldn't talk about the case.

Lawsuit against Sempra dismissed

BajaNews - 12-18-2010 at 07:12 PM

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/15/lawsuit-again...

Judge says the legal action was aimed at the wrong party

By Jeff McDonald
December 15, 2010

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed last summer by a Mexican property owner against Sempra Energy, the San Diego energy giant he accused of stealing his land to help build a liquefied natural gas plant along the Baja California coast.

U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino said the plaintiff, Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie, wrongly singled out Sempra for actions taken by the Mexican government.

“At the outset, the court notes that Sempra is one-step removed from any misconduct. ... And any harm to plaintiff was caused by Mexican authorities,” the ruling states.

Neither side in the case announced the ruling, which was issued Dec. 1. The Watchdog discovered the opinion during a check of public records.

Sanchez Ritchie owned about 670 acres near the LNG plant Sempra began planning early this decade.

He alleged in a Mexican lawsuit that the company wrongfully acquired his property. Earlier this year, Sanchez Ritchie was awarded possession of the land, although the ownership remains in dispute.

Among other allegations, Sanchez Ritchie claimed Sempra bribed Mexican government officials and broke other laws to win approval of the LNG plant. The company says the payment was a required bond to enforce trespassing laws.

Kirk Hulett, the lawyer representing Sanchez Ritchie, called the ruling technical and vowed to file an amended complaint “to remedy the perceived deficiency.”

Sempra said in a statement that it was pleased with the decision.

“We believe the court ruled correctly, and that Mr. Sanchez Ritchie does not have any legitimate claims to bring against Sempra Energy,” spokeswoman Kathleen Corbin Teora said in a prepared statement.

Still outstanding is a separate lawsuit by Rodolfo Michelon, which brings up some of the same claims and additional raises concerns about a $17 million corporate retreat built on the Baja California coast by the company. Executives say no ratepayer funds were used.

woody with a view - 12-18-2010 at 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by torch
Is this the terminal south of Baja Mar? I never got to surf "georges". (semi secret surf spot). :no:

Harry's. so secret even the name isn't known. don't tell DonKay there are no secrets in baja!

RIP....

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5662255500140179672#

BajaGringo - 12-19-2010 at 10:20 AM

I noticed that on several trips passing by in the past few months that they never stopped the construction work. Seems like Sempra was never too concerned about the outcome...

More Sempra Energy projects in Baja

bryanmckenzie - 12-19-2010 at 01:59 PM

For those who do not know who Sempra Energy is and all that they have planned in Baja ... Wind turbines, each capable of generating approximately 1.5 MW to 3.0 MW. COMPLETE PROJECT DETAILS

"The (wind) project (FIRST of FOUR) is located along the Sierra Juárez mountains. The first phase will be located in the Ejido Jacumé north of the town of La Rumorosa, about 70 miles east of San Diego and across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Energía Sierra Juárez is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sempra Generation.

Sempra Generation, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), acquires and develops power plants and energy infrastructure for the competitive market. Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2009 revenues of more than $8 billion.

Sempra Energy was created in 1998 by a merger of parent companies of two long-established and highly respected investor-owned utilities ... San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co, serve more than 20 million consumers. Our other businesses -- Sempra Generation, Sempra Pipelines & Storage and Sempra LNG -- develop critical energy infrastructure in North America.

[Edited on 2010-12-19 by bryanmckenzie]

Bajahowodd - 12-19-2010 at 02:37 PM

Curious.
"Most business activities in Mexico are unrestricted to foreign ownership. The minimum number of share holders is two and both can be foreigners, owning 100% of the company's shares and assets. Business activity exceptions are: petroleum, energy, transportation, banking and fishing. Within these activities, with the exception of petroleum, foreign investor participation is allowed; subject to Commerce Department limitations."
Source: Mexicomatters.com

Just wondering how Sempra has full ownership?

bryanmckenzie - 12-20-2010 at 04:30 PM

I'm guessing LNG falls under "energy" and not "petroleum." I thought I also recalled a Mexican partner but cannot find the information. Maybe I'm just imagining that part.

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Curious.
"Most business activities in Mexico are unrestricted to foreign ownership. The minimum number of share holders is two and both can be foreigners, owning 100% of the company's shares and assets. Business activity exceptions are: petroleum, energy, transportation, banking and fishing. Within these activities, with the exception of petroleum, foreign investor participation is allowed; subject to Commerce Department limitations."
Source: Mexicomatters.com

Just wondering how Sempra has full ownership?

Complete details here

bryanmckenzie - 12-20-2010 at 04:33 PM

Complete details here

Click on Questions & Answers, from the company's investor website.

durrelllrobert - 12-20-2010 at 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

not a news article. is a press release by one litigant,... just spin doctoring.

the LNG plant will not close

Lawsuit against SEMPRA Dismissed
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed last summer by a Mexican property owner against Sempra Energy, the San Diego energy giant he accused of stealing his land to help build a liquefied natural gas plant along the Baja California coast.

U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino said the plaintiff, Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie, wrongly singled out Sempra for actions taken by the Mexican government.

"At the outset, the court notes that Sempra is one-step removed from any misconduct. ... And any harm to plaintiff was caused by Mexican authorities," the ruling states.

Neither side in the case announced the ruling, which was issued Dec. 1.
The Watchdog discovered the opinion during a check of public records.

Sanchez Ritchie owned about 670 acres near the LNG plant Sempra began planning early this decade.

He alleged in a Mexican lawsuit that the company wrongfully acquired his property. Earlier this year, Sanchez Ritchie was awarded possession of the land, although the ownership remains in dispute.

Among other allegations, Sanchez Ritchie claimed Sempra bribed Mexican government officials and broke other laws to win approval of the LNG plant. The company says the payment was a required bond to enforce trespassing laws.

Kirk Hulett, the lawyer representing Sanchez Ritchie, called the ruling technical and vowed to file an amended complaint "to remedy the perceived deficiency."

Sempra said in a statement that it was pleased with the decision.

"We believe the court ruled correctly, and that Mr. Sanchez Ritchie
does not have any legitimate claims to bring against Sempra
Energy," spokeswoman Kathleen Corbin Teora said in a prepared statement.

Still outstanding is a separate lawsuit by Rodolfo Michelon, which brings up some of the same claims and additional raises concerns abouta $17 million corporate retreat built on the Baja California coast by the company. Executives say no ratepayer funds were used.