BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- China shut down 156 small coal-fired energy-guzzling generation units with a combined generating capacity of 5.5 million kilowatts in the first half of 2007, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Tuesday.

The shut-down will save 8.5 million tons raw coal every year and cut the annual emission of 20,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 17 million tons of carbon dioxide, said the commission.

East China's Jiangsu Province slashed 1.13 million kilowatts of generation capacity for the first six months, topping the cutting list. It is followed by Inner Mongolia and Henan Province, reducing 690,000 kilowatts and 450,000 kilowatts, respectively.

China has been building large-capacity coal-fired power plants to save energy and reduce emissions. It plans to close small coal-fired generating units with a combined capacity of 50 million kilowatts by 2010.

The country would save 90 million tons of coal equivalent every year, if all small units were to replaced by large ones, said NDRC.