Co-founder and lead analyst, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air; senior fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute: tracking & accelerating progress from polluting energy to clean air, with research and evidence.https://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mtivvbmsjs2uThe falling trend in China's coal-fired power generation isn't limited to July: coal power has now been falling for eight weeks straigth, from mid-June to mid-August. The second week of August saw a sharp 12% drop year-on-year. [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 Aug 2026 09:15 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtivvbmsjs2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mtbcfcmajs27Steep drop in China's CO2 emissions in July: -power generation from coal&gas -3.5% -coal mine output -10% in July, -3% year-to-date -cement output -12% in July, -9% YTD -crude steel output -4%, -3% -oil refining -16%, -7%17 Aug 2026 08:38 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtbcfcmajs27https://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mt4w3fvlcs2yThree Chinese energy specialists respond to my analysis of China's carbon intensity data, which showed that China changed the numbers in a way that erased a major shortfall to 2025 target and enabled a weak 2030 target.15 Aug 2026 14:47 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt4w3fvlcs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mszirae2rs2qNew, in-depth work by our Indonesia team and data team, identifying the worst air pollutant emission hotspots in Indonesia and proposing solutions. [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Aug 2026 06:10 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mszirae2rs2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mszao54tws24EVs made up over 60% of all vehicles sold by Chinese automakers in July, and 50% year-to-date, both for the first time. They reached a 68% share of domestic passenger car sales and over 50% of vehicle exports.14 Aug 2026 03:45 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mszao54tws24https://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mswsskxhkk2jFirst severe oil spill caused by a shadow tanker carrying Russian oil. I hope coastal states finally get serious about the risk and about addressing it.13 Aug 2026 04:32 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mswsskxhkk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3msui6ea7ic2wChina's wind power capacity additions in the first half of 2026 were 39GW, much higher than any year before the record-setting 2025. Solar capacity additions, at 72GW, are down sharply from 2025 but tied with 2023 which saw over 200GW added during the full year.12 Aug 2026 06:16 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3msui6ea7ic2whttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3msi4z2ck3s2fNew validation of our near-real-time tracking of EU CO2 emissions finds that we get within 0.5%-points of data released by government and academics with a much longer delay, while providing much more granular estimates by sector and day/week/month.07 Aug 2026 08:25 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3msi4z2ck3s2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3msfudd3zqk2dNew from us: China's coal-fired power generation rebounded in the first half of 2026. Rapid expansion of coal power capacity led to worsening oversupply, reflected both in the increase of wasted wind and solar generation and in falling utilisation of coal power plants. [contains quote post or other embedded content]06 Aug 2026 10:44 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3msfudd3zqk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3msd2t5w5fc2dOECD power generation from gas has seen a significant drop in the five months since LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz were first disrupted. This has not resulted in an increase in coal-fired generation as solar and wind have covered demand growth and the fall in gas.05 Aug 2026 08:02 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3msd2t5w5fc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3ms6ommtvu22bThese two roles are open for application until Friday - but the sooner the better as I'm already working through the applications. [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 Aug 2026 14:13 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms6ommtvu22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3ms6dohbd7c22Trade data for July will soon show significant jumps in oil imports for China, Japan and South Korea, compared to June. This might seem a return to the market but it's just a delayed effect of the brief re-opening of Hormuz in June; tanker departures have now fallen back down.03 Aug 2026 10:57 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms6dohbd7c22https://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mrasevfprc22Electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrids, made up over half of China's auto exports for the first time in June. See our monthly snapshot for a lot more on China's energy trends. 👇 [contains quote post or other embedded content]22 Jul 2026 17:01 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrasevfprc22https://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mr5a66jkls2wJOB OPPORTUNITY: Come work with me to produce timely, high-impact analysis of the biggest developments in energy, economy and air pollution! We're looking for a data scientist to produce cutting edge analysis and an insights analyst to turn it into high-quality briefings.21 Jul 2026 06:57 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr5a66jkls2whttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mqvooc2gfs2gOne of the main factors balancing the oil market has been the Saudi East-West pipeline to Yanbu port. The pipeline and facilities at each end are vulnerable to attacks. Iran definitely still has the ability to cause a full-blown global oil crisis if it chooses to do so. [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Jul 2026 06:55 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqvooc2gfs2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mqvoljzvis2gA striking, touching illustration of the shifting baseline syndrome. To someone from two generations ago, what we think of as beautiful, unspoiled nature would seem, or in this case, sound, like an almost barren landscape with just a couple of odd survivor species hanging on. [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Jul 2026 06:53 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqvoljzvis2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mqrk75bk322hUkraine has shown that redundancy, distributed generation & storage and heroic repair crews can keep the lights on and grids up under relentless attacks. The lessons from Russia's invasion, Ukraine's counter strikes nor war on Iran haven't begun to be internalized in the rest of the world. [contains quote post or other embedded content]16 Jul 2026 15:24 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqrk75bk322hhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mqr77sypas2wThere's no fossil fuel based energy security in the age of ubiquitous cheap long-range attack drones.16 Jul 2026 12:08 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqr77sypas2whttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mqr6ycrnvk2rChina's thermal (coal&gas-fired) power generation continued to rebound in June (+0.5%) and Q2 (+2%) but remained below its 2023 peak. Oil refinery throughput plummeted by 18%, showing role of consumption cuts and product inventories in absorbing the sharp fall in imports.16 Jul 2026 12:04 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqr6ycrnvk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mqlvxfzyhk23China's crude oil imports fell by no less than 41% on year in June and 11% in the first half of the year. Fossil gas imports were down 3% in H1 while coal imports were up 2% but still down 10% compared with 2024.14 Jul 2026 09:39 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqlvxfzyhk23https://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mqluuvg5m22iNEW from us: China's traffic-related air pollution levels dropped sharply after the Hormuz crisis, as fuel consumption fell and EV use surged. This is more evidence that the fall in China's oil import isn't just inventory drawdown but real consumption cuts. 🧵14 Jul 2026 09:19 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqluuvg5m22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mqdyh6zo4s2zA Turkish court overruled the permit for the expansion of the country's most polluting coal power plant, citing impacts on human health and other negative impacts.11 Jul 2026 06:02 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqdyh6zo4s2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mqcnjbvdcc2aChina targets an EV share of 30% out of all vehicles on the road by 2030, up from 12% at the end of 2025. This is a significant target given that the share of EVs in new registrations was 49% in 2025 and the share increased 3.1pp - the new target requires 3.6pp/year.10 Jul 2026 17:14 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqcnjbvdcc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mq4ejbs2gs2sIf countries kept growing the share of clean power at the same rate as in the past 6 years, when would they have 100% non-fossil power? By this simple measure, 13 developed countries are on track to clean power by 2035, and 7 developing countries by 2050. Others need to speed up. [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 Jul 2026 05:17 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq4ejbs2gs2shttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mq3573hhic2qWhich countries are actually succeeding in building clean energy? China leads in absolute volumes, no surprises there, but relative to the size of the energy system, five other countries achieved larger increases in the past six years.07 Jul 2026 17:33 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq3573hhic2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mq2pdbqeyc2rIndia's power system is strongly affected by El Nino, with increased demand for AC and lower hydropower and wind generation. Increased risk of heat deaths shows the need for AC. Solar power output is not affected and correlates very well with the additional power demand. [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Jul 2026 13:25 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq2pdbqeyc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mpsfkwspbc2aChina’s new five-year environment plan, Building a Beautiful China, is out. For energy and air quality, the plan sends two different signals: stronger action in the main air pollution control regions, but weak national-level ambition.04 Jul 2026 06:09 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpsfkwspbc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mpqrjstk7c2iNew from us: almost 10 GW of coal-fired power is planned in Indonesia to power aluminum refining, despite the fact that solar plus storage can now compete on cost with coal. Many of the aluminum plants are Chinese-owned, flouting Xi's commitment not to build coal power overseas. [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 Jul 2026 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpqrjstk7c2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social/post/3mpixsnrsjs2hAdoption of air conditioning in Europe at U.S. levels would bring massive health benefits, while the emission implications would be minuscule, unlike many suggest - and, done right, it would help the clean energy transition by boosting electrification and clean energy. 🧵30 Jun 2026 12:09 +0000at://did:plc:5buzphfdtce4ev3ukud2gf37/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpixsnrsjs2h