Southern California Gas Company

Southern California Gas Company
	File:SoCalGas logo.webp
Trade name	SoCalGas
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Utilities
Founded	Template:Sda
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, United States
Key people	Maryam Brown (CEO)
Products	Natural Gas
Parent	Sempra
Website	www.socalgas.com

The Southern California Gas Company, operating under the name SoCalGas, is a utility enterprise headquartered in Los Angeles, California, functioning as a subsidiary within the Sempra corporate group. It serves as the chief distributor of natural gas throughout Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region.

Overview

Situated in the Gas Company Tower located in central Los Angeles, SoCalGas caters to around 21.6 million customers spanning an area of nearly 20,000 square miles in California, extending from Visalia down to the border with Mexico. While gas services in San Diego County are provided by its affiliate San Diego Gas & Electric, other smaller portions of Southern California receive service from Southwest Gas and the Long Beach Gas & Oil Department.

The company delivers natural gas to all or portions of the following counties:

History

Established in 1867 originally as the Los Angeles Gas Company, the organization began by installing gas lamps fueled by manufactured gas derived from asphalt and oil. Following the advent of Thomas Edison’s electric lighting in 1879, the company redirected its efforts toward supplying gas for stoves and heating appliances. In 1890, Pacific Enterprises—initially founded as Pacific Lighting in San Francisco—acquired Los Angeles Gas Company along with other regional entities, consolidating them into what evolved into Southern California Gas Company.

The 1909 discovery of the Buena Vista Oil Field near Taft, California brought a plentiful supply of natural gas, which led SoCalGas to adapt its systems for natural gas distribution and construct pipelines across the state. The superior heating efficiency of natural gas triggered swift growth in demand. In 1941, SoCalGas introduced underground natural gas storage to the Southwest United States and currently manages four such sites converted from depleted oil and gas reservoirs: Aliso Canyon (the largest), Honor Rancho, La Goleta, and Playa del Rey.

As Southern California’s population expanded, SoCalGas grew into the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, serving approximately 19.5 million individuals through 5.5 million meters across more than 530 communities. Operating as a subsidiary of Fortune 500 firm Sempra, its service territory covers about 23,000 square miles (60,000 km²) stretching from south of Sanger to the Mexican border.

In late 2012, SoCalGas initiated its Advanced Meter Installation (AMI) Project aimed at upgrading over six million meters with communication technology designed to securely transmit consumption information. This initiative received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission with a budget allocation of $1.05 billion and was projected to conclude by 2017.

On March 6, 2019, SoCalGas revealed its intention to substitute 20% of its conventional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by the year 2030. The company’s objective is to become North America’s most environmentally responsible natural gas utility by enhancing renewable energy integration. As part of this plan, SoCalGas collaborated with startup firm Twelve to transform CO₂ extracted from raw biogas into methane fuel.

Environmental impact

In October 2015, an underground gas leak occurred at the Aliso Canyon storage facility, resulting in an uncontrolled release of methane. By December of the same year, thousands of residents in Porter Ranch were temporarily displaced due to the leak, which discharged more than 150 million pounds of methane gas. The Environmental Defense Fund characterized this event as "unprecedented in California," highlighting that the continuous greenhouse gas emissions were comparable to those produced by 7 million automobiles or 8 to 9 coal-powered plants. Over a 20-year period, the climate effect was equivalent to burning one billion gallons of gasoline. This episode has been regarded as the most significant environmental catastrophe since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The company has advocated for incorporating biogas into the current natural gas pipeline infrastructure; however, California regulators contend that biogas is more appropriately utilized in sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as aviation, heavy manufacturing, and long-distance trucking.

Pipelines

1944: To alleviate a natural gas shortage in Southern California, Southern Counties Gas Company constructed 36 miles of 16-inch pipeline from the La Goleta Gas Field to the Venture compressor station at a cost of $1,083,290, along with a dehydration facility in Ventura. Additionally, Southern California Gas Company installed 66 miles of 18-inch and 12 miles of 22-inch pipeline between Ventura and Los Angeles for $2,368,900. These developments raised Goleta's capacity from 60 million to 200 million cubic feet. Pacific Lightning Corp. also drilled four new dry gas wells exploiting older reserves.

Texas-California Pipeline (1947): A collaborative project between Southern Counties Gas Company resulted in a 214-mile, 30-inch pipeline connecting Blythe to Santa Fe Springs. This linked with the simultaneously constructed 720-mile El Paso Natural Gas pipeline extending from New Mexico to Blythe. Originally designed as a 26-inch line, $6 million worth of pipe was manufactured by Consolidated Steel using steel plates sourced from Geneva Steel. The initial throughput capacity was 175 million cubic feet per day, with potential expansion beyond 400 million cubic feet per day through additional segments. The California section cost $16.2 million, while El Paso's portion amounted to $53.8 million. Thirty-year supply agreements were put in place. Operations commenced on November 13, 1947, reaching a peak flow of 325 million cubic feet per day by March 1950.

- Currently operating is a final segment consisting of a 10-mile, 26-inch pipeline between Santa Fe Springs and Spence Street station.

- Approved expansions include:
  - An 8.3-mile stretch of 30-inch pipeline between Rivera and Garvey (in partnership with Southern Counties Gas Co.) and a separate 4-mile section solely between Garvey and Alhambra (Docket G-1045, July 1948).
  - An 88-mile looping segment of 30-inch pipe extending from Whitewater to a junction near Montebello on the Pasadena lateral (Docket G-1079, September 1948), which increased capacity from Blythe to Los Angeles from 305 to 405 million cubic feet per day.
  - A distinct 15-mile segment of 30-inch pipeline running from Rivera to a regulating station at Slauson Boulevard and Western Avenue (also part of G-1079).

Imperial Valley Pipeline (1948): This branch line extends 73 miles with an 8-inch diameter from the Texas-California Line near Desert Center to Calexico. It was designed to deliver an anticipated capacity of 16 million cubic feet per day within five years. The project was authorized in June 1948 with an estimated cost of $1.15 million and completed by December that year.

Moreno Pipeline: A Southern Counties Gas Company initiative includes a Riverside County segment measuring 35 miles as part of an overall 85-mile, 16-inch pipeline connecting to the Texas-California Line near Moreno. It is capable of transporting up to 40 million cubic feet per day of out-of-state natural gas. The estimated expenditure was $1.93 million, authorized in May 1949. The remaining portion located in San Diego County falls under Docket G-1162.

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