Nov 5 (Reuters) - Energy infrastructure firm Sempra SRE.N beat third-quarter profit estimates on Wednesday, driven by growing investments at its Texas utility, while California units moved to streamline operations and improve efficiency amid regulatory changes.
Shares of the company rose 2% in premarket trading following the results.
The San Diego-based company reported adjusted profit of $1.11 per share for the three months ended September 30, beating analysts' average estimate of 91 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Results were lifted by strong performance at Sempra Texas, whose utility Oncor continued to expand its grid to meet rising power demand from industrial customers and data centers across North Texas.
Building on its $36 billion 2025–2029 capital plan, Oncor expects to boost spending by more than 30% in its next five-year plan for 2026–2030 to support rising electricity demand.
At quarter-end, Oncor's active large commercial and industrial interconnection queue included over 600 requests, an increase of about 60% compared with last year.
Sempra also expects to complete a planned sale of a 45% stake in Sempra Infrastructure Partners to KKR affiliates by next year, part of efforts to simplify its business and strengthen its balance sheet.
During the quarter, Sempra Infrastructure unit reached a final investment decision on Port Arthur LNG Phase 2, with long-term offtake agreements already in place.
The unit is advancing six major projects across North America's Pacific and Gulf coasts.
In California, subsidiaries San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) and Southern California Gas Co (SoCalGas) are seeking approval from state regulators for cost-saving measures.
SDGE plans to discontinue select energy efficiency programs to lower administrative expenses, while SoCalGas intends to close its remaining branch offices and move to a digital-first service model.
Together, these changes are expected to save customers more than $300 million between 2026 and 2031.
(Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)
((Arunima.Kumar@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aru_Kumar94 ;))