A new coal terminal that authorities in Cherbourg hope will give a new lease of life to the town’s struggling port is ready to launch.

The offshore plant should enter service in mid-September, receiving coal from Colombia and South Africa and processing it, ready to ship to power stations in the south-west of England.

The €4m project was given the green light by Manche préfecture in March after almost a year of delays. It is seen as an essential development if Cherbourg port is to remain financially viable.

Cherbourg Chamber of Commerce says the plant has created 100 jobs and will “put a stop to the port’s long decline”. It should process 4.5m tonnes a year by 2014.

Greenpeace dumped tonnes of coal in front of the ecology ministry in Paris last summer to protest against the plans. It says it does not make sense for France to be investing in fossil fuels in this age.