China Closes Power Plants to Reduce Pollution

China closed two Beijing coal-burning thermal power plants Friday as part of the country’s continued efforts to reduce air pollution in the capital.

Officially called the Clean Air Campaign, the program started in 2013 and aims to reduce coal consumption to 10 million tons. That is a reduction of 13 millions tons from the 23 million tons of coal consumption in 2012, according to Reuters.

The two plants closed were the Guohua Thermal Power Plant, located in a Central Business District core area, and the Shijingshan Thermal Power Plant in the Shijingshan District. As well as a reduction in coal-burning emissions, another benefit will be the cuting of corresponding sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and dust.

RELATED: Chinese Premier Promises to Crackdown on Pollution

The city plans to replace coal with renewable and clean power sources by building gas-fired thermo-powered plants, according to Zhang Wangcai, the deputy director of the energy department at the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission. The plan is for the city to have a total of four of these more environmentally friendly plants built to replace four of Beijing's coal-fired plants.

With Friday's closures taken into account, three plants have now been closed. The final one will be closed in 2016, which will then cut the city’s coal use by 9.2 million tons.

According to China's Environment Ministry, the air quality in Beijing failed to meet basic standards last year.