City of Long Beach lights gas pipeline network

March 21, 2003--Long Beach Energy, working with Sempra Fiber Links, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, has completed the installation of a fiber-optic telecommunications network in a portion of its natural gas pipeline. This network links Long Beach Energy headquarters at 2400 East Spring Street with the city's Temple Avenue and Willow Street facility and is now fully operational.

"This is the first such installation in the world to become operational. The revolutionary fiber-optic cable installation process permits safe installation within the natural gas pipeline and avoids expensive trenching and other more intrusive conventional methods involved in installing fiber-optic telecommunications networks," said Chris Garner, director of Long Beach Energy.

The installation used the patented fiber-in-gas (FIG) technology developed by Sempra Fiber Links. This type of fiber installation minimizes the impact on the day-to-day lives of people working and living in cities because streets do not have to be trenched, nor does natural gas service have to be interrupted during the installation, according to the company.

The new fiber-optics system is linked to the city's microwave system and is used to transmit and exchange data between the facilities.