California wildfire liability regime - inverse condemnation doctrine holds utilities strictly liable for fire damages even without negligence, creating uncapped tail risk despite AB 1054 wildfire fund protections
LNG demand destruction risk from accelerated renewable penetration in Asia or European energy policy shifts away from natural gas, potentially stranding $15B+ of LNG development capex
Regulatory disallowances on capex recovery - CPUC has history of scrutinizing utility spending, risk of earning below authorized ROE if investments deemed imprudent
LNG export competition from Qatar North Field expansion (32 MTPA), US Gulf Coast competitors (Venture Global Plaquemines, Golden Pass), and floating LNG projects offering faster time-to-market
Distributed generation and battery storage reducing utility throughput in California, pressuring rate base growth despite decoupling protections
Political pressure for utility municipalization in California following wildfire events and rate increases
Elevated capex requirements ($8-10B annually) create ongoing external financing needs, exposing company to capital markets volatility and rising cost of capital
Pension and OPEB obligations at legacy utilities, though relatively well-funded compared to peers
Contingent wildfire liabilities in California despite AB 1054 protections - potential for multi-billion dollar claims exceeding insurance and wildfire fund coverage
StructuralCompetitiveBalance Sheet