Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
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Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
When evaluating our company and its consolidated entities and any investment in our or their securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors and all other information contained in this report and the other documents we file with the SEC (including those filed subsequent to this report), including the factors discussed below and in “Part I – Item 2. MD&A” in this report and “Part I – Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Part II – Item 7. MD&A” in the Annual Report. Any of the risks and other information discussed in this report or any of the risk factors discussed in “Part I – Item 1A. Risk Factors” or “Part II – Item 7. MD&A” in the Annual Report, as well as additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial, could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, prospects and/or the trading prices of our securities or those of our consolidated entities.
Changing conditions in global markets, including the impact of tariffs and other trade actions, may materially and adversely affect us.
Our businesses import various materials, including steel and aluminum, and purchase foreign-sourced goods, such as electrical transformers, from domestic distributors. Sempra Infrastructure also generates a material portion of its earnings from LNG exports to customers located outside the U.S., including countries in Asia and Europe. Our ability to continue importing materials, purchasing foreign-sourced goods and exporting LNG profitably, or at all, into international markets is subject to a number of risks, including adverse impacts of (i) legal and regulatory requirements or limitations imposed by foreign governments, including tariffs, quotas or other trade barriers, sanctions, adverse tax law changes, nationalization, currency restrictions, or import restrictions, and (ii) disruptions or delays in shipments caused by customs compliance or other actions of government agencies.
In 2018, the U.S. imposed tariffs on certain imported steel and aluminum products, as well as tariffs in various ranges on imports from China. Those tariffs remain in effect. Beginning in January 2025, the U.S. Administration has announced a number of new tariffs, both threatened and imposed, including a higher total tariff on goods from China and numerous other tariffs in various ranges on imports from all countries with only limited exclusions, including a temporary exclusion for goods that enter the U.S. as qualifying goods under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, such as electrical transformers. Additionally, the U.S. Administration has expanded the application of the 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs to countries and products that had previously been excluded, including a broad range of derivative products, and increased the amount of the aluminum tariff. These tariffs have created uncertainty in our business development efforts and for projects currently under construction, and we expect them to impact our businesses’ costs related to construction, pipeline transportation, electricity procurement and financing, among other areas, and increase costs across the LNG value chain. These impacts may result in delays, cost overruns or reduced profitability for our construction and development projects, denials or delays of recovery in rates of higher costs at our regulated utilities, or other adverse effects, any of which could be material.
We also face uncertainty in the interpretation and application of these tariffs, including with respect to customs valuation, product classification and country-of-origin determinations. Any disagreement with regulators on these matters could result in the retroactive assessment of additional tariffs with interest, the imposition of penalties, or other enforcement actions, any of which could be material.
These recent tariffs, along with other U.S. trade actions, have triggered retaliatory actions by certain affected countries, including China’s announcement of a tariff on U.S. LNG. Other foreign governments, such as the European Union, may also impose trade measures, including reciprocal tariffs, on LNG or other U.S. goods in the future. These tariffs and other trade actions could negatively impact demand for our LNG exports, which would adversely impact our LNG projects and development pipeline.
Although there is uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of these trade actions by the U.S. and other countries, such actions and any resulting economic, financial or geopolitical instability could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and/or prospects.
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