Utilities regulators agreed Tuesday to fast-track reviews of two proposed Constellation Energy natural gas plants as Maryland aims to bolster its power supply.

In a 14-page order, the state Public Service Commission approved the Baltimore-based Constellation’s request for expedited consideration of more than 700 megawatts in new natural gas capacity. While not granting final approval, the order could enable Constellation to speed through, in 10 months or less, a vetting process that typically takes up to two years.

The decision marks an early step in a new process that is central to Democratic leadership’s energy platform. That platform is outlined in a law passed earlier this year that aims to boost the state’s electricity generation. Maryland has long imported much of its electricity from out of state, but as new pressures hit the regional grid and utility bills soar, leaders have looked for ways to take more ownership of the power supply.

The legislation helps grease the skids for new natural gas plants, a prospect that has frustrated environmental advocates and would make the state’s already dimming climate aspirations even harder to achieve.

According to the Public Service Commission order, the proposed Constellation plants would increase Maryland’s natural gas capacity by 14%.

Constellation’s application, submitted to regulators this fall, outlines plans for two new natural-gas-fired power plants, one capable of generating up to 150 megawatts of electricity and another generating up to 564 megawatts.

The commission rejected Constellation’s bid for expedited consideration of up to 800 megawatts of battery storage in the same area, unless the company submits revised plans for the project within 60 days.

If regulators approve its application, Constellation intends to build in the Perryman area of Harford County, the company’s CEO, Joe Dominguez, told reporters at a November policy summit. Constellation has large landholdings there and several fossil-fuel-powered generators at its Perryman Generating Station.

The proposal has prompted concern from residents, who worry that the fast-tracked process will leave them without a say.

“This is about what we breathe, what we hear, and what happens right outside our homes,” Ron Stuchinski, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier who lives near Constellation’s proposed site, said in a statement last week. “Calling this a ‘procedural’ decision doesn’t change the fact that once something is fast-tracked, the community is already behind the curve.”

Stuchinski is part of the group 3P Protect Perryman Peninsula, which has submitted its concerns about the Constellation plan to the Public Service Commission.

In their order, the commissioners acknowledge potential consequences of the fast-track process for frontline communities but indicate that these side effects are out of the commission’s hands because of the new law.

The Next Generation Energy Act, the Democratic energy package passed last legislative session, established a fast-track process for up to 10 projects but said that if fewer developers apply, the Public Service Commission should grant expedited consideration for all applicants.

A spokesperson for Constellation did not immediately comment on the commission’s order.

In a November release announcing the proposal, Dominguez acknowledged polarized sentiment over new natural gas generation. But he said Constellation believes natural gas should be part of the state’s solution, and the company’s willing to invest in it if Maryland leaders agree.

The Public Service Commission’s consideration of the fast-track applications comes ahead of a legislative session where Maryland lawmakers are again expected to debate the state’s energy challenges.

A rival to Constellation, the Chicago-based Exelon, has encouraged lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow the company to build a new gas plant in Maryland and charge local ratepayers for the build-out.

That would be a departure from state law, which has long barred regulated companies like Exelon, which owns Baltimore Gas and Electric and other Maryland utilities, from owning their own sources of generation. Exelon’s proposal has drawn intense criticism both from Constellation and ratepayer advocates.

The now-fast-tracked Constellation plan could come at its own cost to Marylanders.

Construction of new natural gas pipelines to connect plants in Perryman would cost around $800 million, Dominguez told lawmakers at the November policy summit — an investment he expects his company would not cover on its own.

“We will need some help with that,” Dominguez told lawmakers at the summit.

Some climate groups have argued that this new process means energy developments will not get sufficient vetting.

A coalition of climate groups, including the Perryman group, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, Clean Water Action and the law firm Earthjustice, appealed to the Public Service Commission earlier this month for more time to weigh in.

The commission denied the requested extension Tuesday and noted that the public would have time to comment as regulators consider permits for these power plants.

Even with the fast-track approval, Constellation still must formally apply for permits.