BEIJING, March 20-- Beijing on Friday closed a large coal-fired power plant in its downtown area, replacing it with a gas-fired plant to cut pollution.

The thermal power plant of the state-owned Guohua Electric Power Co. shut down its 400-megawatt power generation units, the city's economic planning agency said in a statement.

The shutdown came a day after the closure of another 93-year-old thermal power plant run by Beijing Energy Investment Group in western Beijing.

There were once four major coal-fired power plants in Beijing. The first was closed last July and the last is scheduled to be closed next year.

The clean energy initiative is part of efforts to clear the air in the Chinese capital, which is often enveloped in heavy smog.

The replacement by four gas-fired power plants will help cut emissions by 10,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide, 19,000 tonnes of nitric oxide and 3,000 tonnes of dust annually.

According to the clean air action plan (2013-2017), Beijing aims to cut annual coal consumption by 13 million tonnes. By 2014, consumption had been cut by 4.5 million tonnes.

In 2015, the city plans to reduce coal consumption by another 4 million tonnes and limit the annual coal consumption to 15 million tonnes, said the municipal development and reform commission.