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Tim McDonnell

Tim McDonnell

Climate and energy editor, Semafor

Email Tim@timmcdonnell

Tim McDonnell is the Climate & Energy Editor at Semafor. Tim has covered the business and science of climate change for more than a decade from front lines of the crisis around the world. He is based in Kyiv.

Trump threatens India with ‘penalty’ over Russian oil imports

Oil prices jumped following the remarks, because finding a replacement for Russian crude at the volumes India now imports would strain the market.
A worker stands at a fuel station of Nayara Energy on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, IndiaAmit Dave/Reuters

US data centers to drive electricity demand to record levels

Data centers’ voracious need for power, combined with rising natural gas prices means more power plants are switching from gas back to coal.
Digital Reality Data Center in Ashburn, Virginia.Leah Millis/Reuters

US borrowing costs hamper clean energy investment

Wind, solar, and battery storage projects tend to require large upfront investment before they pay off.
A solar array in Indiana. Jim Vondruska/File Photo/Reuters

EPA to propose repeal of legal justification for emissions limit

The EPA’s expected proposal will make it much harder for future administrations to regulate greenhouse gases.
Signage is seen at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency in Washington.Andrew Kelly/Reuters

US clean energy helps prevent blackouts during heatwave

Clean energy has proven to be critical in keeping up the supply of power for air conditioners, and may have saved households in New England up to $20 million in bills.
Extreme heat and rising summer temperatures hit Chicago, Illinois.Audrey Richardson /Reuters

China’s solar installations drop

Solar panel installations in China fell in June, as the government pulled back on subsidies after a record-breaking construction boom this year.
A general view of solar panels at the Dunhuang Photovoltaic Industrial Park.Tingshu Wang/Reuters

Trump is overselling US fossil fuels

The new US trade deal with Europe hinges on a promise that will be impossible to meet and could backfire for US consumers.

US power grid builders see profits surge

Net income at the US’ largest power provider by market cap nearly doubled in the second quarter, driven by surging data center demand.

Tesla profits fall for third consecutive quarter

Tesla still hasn’t released a lineup of newer, cheaper EVs to compete with China’s BYD for markets outside the US.

Trump’s AI plan overlooks industry’s looming power crisis

The plan urges environmental rollbacks to speed the permitting process, but offers no new policies to ease near-term power bottlenecks.

Trump’s renewables crackdown hurts US national security, Biden official warns

Wally Adeyemo supports imposing sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, but said more diversified energy at home will give the US a stronger geopolitical advantage.

Surging data center demand fuels US power price hikes

Over the past decade, PJM Interconnection has paid about $6.5 billion annually to power generators, costs that are ultimately borne by homes and businesses.

Chevron wins biggest legal showdown in a generation

An arbitration court in Paris ruled that Chevron could proceed with its $53 billion acquisition of Hess, which had been on hold since 2023 as ExxonMobil contested the deal.

China’s clean energy surge drives down emissions

The solar panels, wind turbines, and EV batteries exported by China in 2024 shaved 1% off the world’s carbon footprint that year, a new analysis found.

Batteries spared in Trump’s assault on green tax credits

Investors in grid-scale energy storage aren’t worried about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

US Senate approves $9B foreign aid cut, hitting clean energy projects

At the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, deep cuts to USAID eliminated more than 100 climate and energy-related programs overseas.

Big Oil braces for second-quarter profit dip

Global economic uncertainty and rising oil inventories in China have pushed the market into surplus.

China imposes restrictions on EV technology exports

European countries, especially, had hoped to build their domestic EV manufacturing sectors by opening their doors to Chinese battery firms, rather than reinventing the technologies at home.