Britain's first coal-powered station for 20 years given green light despite opposition

The decision was immediately criticised by environment groups, who attacked the continued use of "dinosaur technology".

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Local councillors gave energy giant E.ON the go-ahead to build the £1billion "cleaner coal" plant at Kingsnorth in Medway, Kent, to replace existing coal-fired units at the site.

E.ON claims the station, which will supply 1.5million homes, should cut carbon emissions by almost two million tonnes a year.

Gordon Brown is expected to rubber stamp the plan within weeks.

Last night the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said coal remained "an important part of our energy mix".

Kingsnorth will become one of the world's first commercial power stations to use carbon capture and storage, in which CO2 emissions are trapped in old North Sea oil fields.

The method can cut emissions from fossilfuel power stations by up to 90 per cent. But it is not expected to be introduced until two years after the station starts work.

A DBERR spokesman said: "We aim to have the UK's first commercial-scale power plant incorporating carbon capture and storage operational by 2014, putting us among the first, if not the first, in the world to do this."

E.ON UK boss Paul Golby said the firm would halve carbon emissions by 2030. "This investment is significantly more efficient than conventional coal plants - equivalent to taking about half a million cars off the road," he told BBC Radio 4.

Critics say the use of coal undermines Mr Brown's green credentials.

The Prime Minister is under pressure to back alternatives to fossil fuels as dependence on Russia and the Middle East for oil and gas grows.

He is expected to launch a new generation of nuclear power stations in the next few weeks despite protests from Labour MPs.

Environment groups, who also oppose nuclear power, say Kingsnorth will make Britain miss EU targets to produce a fifth of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Greenpeace warned that if the Prime Minister backs Kingsnorth, he would lock Britain into "huge" carbon emissions for decades.

Keith Allott, of conservation charity WWF, said: "Granting consent for a coal-fired plant without a fully working carbon capture and storage system will only serve to undermine efforts to develop a clean and secure energy system for the 21st century."

Tory business spokesman Alan Duncan said: "E.ON's arguments that Kingsnorth is going to be cleaner are totally unconvincing.

"Kingsnorth is the most dirty of all the available options for a new power station."