The California Energy Commission agreed to keep three old, environmentally damaging gas-fired plants operating along the coast for grid reliability, despite an outpouring of opposition.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was expected to sign legislation that would expedite permitting for new generation storage and possibly extend the life of aging gas plants.

The California PUC ordered an additional 11.5 GW of procurement by mid-decade but backpedaled on a plan to include up to 1,500 MW of fossil fuel generation in the mix.

Four aging natural gas plants scheduled to retire in December will keep operating because of California’s anticipated capacity shortfall.

The California PUC voted unanimously to recommend that some older gas-fired plants remain open for up to three years to prevent reliability problems.

CAISO’s Board of Governors heard that the ISO could face capacity shortages as soon as next year if steps aren’t taken to address the potential shortfall.