Kingsnorth power station sits on the banks of the Medway

Greenpeace claims e-mails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show the government dropped carbon emission conditions for Kingsnorth.

E.ON UK wants to build two coal-fired units at the site near Rochester, Kent.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Business said it was standard practice to explore conditions with companies.

The e-mails obtained by Greenpeace concern capture and storage (CCS) technology to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere.

Kingsnorth would be carbon capture ready and it's right that the department explores the possibility of including conditions on capture readiness with regard to this application Department for Business spokesman

CCS would store CO2 as a liquid, but is still being developed.

A e-mail from E.ON to business secretary John Hutton asks that there should not be a condition on Kingsnorth that it should have CCS.

E.ON says it would be possible to draw up proposals to fit CCS technology once it was commercially viable.

The reply from the Department for Business said: "Thanks. I won't include [the conditions]".

Greenpeace said the e-mails showed the government's climate and energy policy being reversed in the face of pressure from E.ON.

But the government spokeswoman said: "The government is backing the development of new carbon capture and storage technology, including a demonstration plant by 2014.

"E.ON has already publicly stated that Kingsnorth would be carbon capture ready and it's right that the department explores the possibility of including conditions on capture readiness with regard to this application."

Planning approval

A spokesman for E.ON said the CCS technology did not currently exist, and the company was in constant contact with the department to discuss different issues.

Medway Council gave its approval to the E.ON planning application at the beginning of January.

But it does not have the power to grant or reject permission. The final decision on the plan will be made by the government.

If approved, E.ON said the power station would be operational by 2012 and would provide enough energy for 1.5m homes.