China's ongoing efforts to close down small thermal power units will not hurt the country's power supply and economic development, a senior energy official said yesterday.

With the shut-down of small thermal power capacities, China has optimized its mix of installed thermal power capacity, and reduced emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases markedly, said Sun Qin, deputy administrator of the National Energy Administration (NEA).

The move, which China will continue to carry on, will contribute a lot to sustainable development of the power industry, said Sun.