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KYOCERA America, Inc. Recognized by SDG&E as Energy Champion

SAN DIEGO - May 16, 2013 – On May 8 at the 8th Annual San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) Energy Showcase event, Kyocera America, Inc. was honored by SDG&E as an Energy Champion for its outstanding results in energy efficiency and conservation.

Kyocera America conducted a multi-year, comprehensive Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) retrofit, installing updated HVAC controls, wireless stat sensors on DX units, variable frequency drives and a remote building management system for monitoring and scheduling. In addition, in 2012 the company completed installation of a new 3.7MW cogeneration facility.

As a result of these two milestone improvements, Kyocera America has achieved 2.7 million kWh in annual electric savings and reduced its overall energy use by 10 percent while eliminating 888 metric tons of CO2 emissions. The new cogeneration facility is responsible for reducing NOx emissions by 16.7 tons per year.

"Kyocera has a longstanding commitment to the environment and to sustainability, so the fact that we achieved significant annual electric savings while reducing gas emissions is aligned with our ideal of being a 'green company,' " said Bob Whisler, president of Kyocera America, Inc. "This new system helps us to meet our goal of enabling continuous 24/7 manufacturing operations, even in the event of a power outage."

With these upgrades, Kyocera is able to monitor and adjust the humidity levels in all of its clean rooms, and respond quickly to minimize or even eliminate production downtime. In the event of a power outage, the cogeneration facility is equipped to transfer to "island mode" and produce 100 percent of the electricity needed to continue manufacturing operations in the plant.

"We're proud of the remarkable energy savings by our customers who have been recognized as Energy Champions this year," said Caroline Winn, vice president of customer services for SDG&E. "Each winner has set an excellent example that all SDG&E business customers can learn from to find new ways to save energy and money through the many rebates and incentives that are available through SDG&E's energy-efficiency and demand response programs."

About Kyocera
San Diego-based Kyocera America, Inc. (http://americas.kyocera.com/kai/semiparts/) provides high-reliability ceramic packages, complex modules, and contract assembly services for numerous markets and applications, with customers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Kyocera America employs over 400 people in its San Diego location and is part of the Semiconductor Components Group of Kyocera International, Inc., the North American holding company for Kyocera Corporation.

Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO) (TOKYO:6971) (http://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine (or “advanced”) ceramics. Kyocera specializes in combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, such as solar power generating systems, printers, copiers, mobile phones, electronic components, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial components. During the year ended March 31, 2013, the company’s net sales totaled 1.28 trillion yen (approx. USD13.6 billion).

About SDG&E
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 860,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility’s area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help customers save energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. Connect with SDG&E’s Customer Contact Center at 800-411-7343, on Twitter (@SDGE) and Facebook.

Media Contact:
Brad Shewmake
LPI Communications, for Kyocera
858.735.8748
brad@lpicommunications.com