A state appeals court has ruled in favor of a proposal to build a natural gas-fired power plant in Carlsbad.
The decision issued Dec. 1 by California’s First District Court of Appeals deferred to the state Public Utilities Commission, which approved the $2.2 billion plant in May 2015 by a vote of 4 to 1.
Environmental groups sued in December 2015 alleging the commission’s approval did not take into account cleaner alternatives for meeting demand for power.
San Diego Gas & Electric, which hopes to buy power from the plant, welcomed the ruling.
“The energy produced from the Carlsbad Energy Center is expected to complement the growing amount of renewable energy, private solar, energy storage, electric vehicles and other clean energy innovations being added every day to the modern grid powering our lives,” SDG&E spokeswoman Allison Torres said by email.
The roughly 500-megawatt plant, dubbed the Carlsbad Energy Center, is expected to replace energy lost upon the closure of the 965-megawatt Encina Power Station.
The plant would be owned by New Jersey-based NRG Energy, Inc.
