Coal power plant decision deferred
Updated on 22 November 2007
A decision on whether to build Britain's first coal-fired power station in more than 20 years has been deferred to a later date.
Energy giant E.on UK sought permission from Medway Council to replace existing coal-fired units at Kingsnorth power station in Medway, Kent.
E.on UK says the £1 billion investment to build two new cleaner coal units would produce power from coal more efficiently and more cleanly than ever before in the UK.
The units would produce enough energy to supply about 1.5 million homes and lead to a cut in carbon emissions of almost two million tons a year, E.on UK says.
However, more than 9,000 people have objected to the plans.
Activists staged a protest at the plant last month by climbing a 200m-high smokestack and chaining themselves to the station's conveyor belt to prevent it burning coal.
Greenpeace says the units would create a highly carbon-intensive and inefficient form of energy generation and would go against Government policy on climate change and energy sources.
Medway Council leader Rodney Chambers said local opposition to the plans was limited, with interested parties such as the RSPB and the Environment Agency raising no objections.
He said: "The decision to recommend approval to ministers was deferred to allow for more information. There will be a meeting of only committee members who will go on the site to gain more details from a presentation by E.on."
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