http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8014295.stm"A new generation of coal-fired power stations equipped for carbon capture and storage has been signalled by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
He told MPs up to four of the plants could be built by 2020 enabling the UK "to lead the world" in the technology.
The aim was to keep coal, a cheap fuel, within the UK's energy mix without abandoning climate change commitments.
The Conservatives said the government had dithered over the issue and yielded ground to other countries.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology traps and stores carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels underground but has yet to be commercially proven.
The climate change secretary said successful CCS development could cut carbon emissions from coal by 90%.
In his Budget statement on Wednesday, the chancellor pledged funding for new projects alongside one existing scheme.
It is not clear where the new plants will be located although the government said areas where the greatest benefits could be generated included the Thames Valley, Humberside, Teesside, Firth of Forth and Merseyside.
'Low carbon path'
While acknowledging that coal posed a "stark dilemma" in terms of environmental and energy needs, Mr Miliband said there was an "international imperative to make coal clean".
Mr Miliband told MPs clean coal had an important role to play in providing the "diverse energy mix" the UK needed alongside nuclear power and renewable sources of energy.
He said the era of "unabated" growth in coal-fired plants was over and that future plants would have to demonstrate they could sustain "substantial" CCS capacity to get planning permission.
Once CCS is proven commercially viable, as the government expects by 2020, all existing plants will have to move to CCS across all their output within five years.
Mr Miliband said Thursday's announcement was a "decisive step" on taking the UK on a "low-carbon path".
"There is no alternative to CCS if we are serious about fighting climate change and retaining a diverse mix of energy sources for our economy," he said"
The development of CCS in the UK has proved a slow process.
Opposition parties have claimed lack of government support has forced some operators to develop technology abroad.
The BBC's Environment Analyst Roger Harrabin said each new carbon capture project could cost £1bn.
While the power industry and some environmentalists welcome the strong new commitment to carbon capture, others argue that even coal plants with carbon capture equipment fitted will still produce substantial amounts of greenhouse gases, he added.
Earlier this year the European Commission approved more than £1bn in funding for CCS development at 11 coal-fired stations across Europe, including four in the UK"
