HDF Energy, a fuel cell project developer and manufacturer, has selected Topsoe as technology licensor for BaseBlue Power, a 250 MW power plant project planned for West Texas that is designed to deliver firm, low-carbon electricity to data centers from 2030.

Under the agreement, Topsoe will provide the technology license, process design and basic engineering, proprietary equipment and catalysts for the plant's hydrogen production and CO2 capture unit, based on its SynCOR autothermal reforming (ATR) technology.

How the Plant Works

BaseBlue Power will produce 400 tons of hydrogen per day from Permian Basin natural gas using Topsoe's SynCOR technology. The process will capture 98% of the CO2, approximately 1.1 million metric tons per year, which will be compressed and stored underground, transported by pipeline to storage in the region. Because the ATR process produces a concentrated CO2 stream, the CO2 can be captured and compressed before any fuel is burned.

The hydrogen will then power approximately 250 MW of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, delivering electricity directly to data center facilities. According to the release, PEM fuel cells offer electrical efficiency above 50%, modular deployment, and respond within seconds to load swings, emitting only water at the point of generation, with rapid response to fluctuations in demand.

Aiming at Data Center Power Demand

The project addresses data centers' growing demand for reliable, clean power. Data centers require large volumes of uninterrupted electricity, with increasing pressure to limit their carbon footprint.

Natural gas offers a readily available energy source for delivering reliable power at scale, making the Permian Basin an increasingly attractive location for data center development. However, conventional gas turbines and engines face reported lead times of four years or more and generate significant emissions.

BaseBlue Power takes a different approach, converting natural gas to hydrogen through ATR and generating electricity through fuel cells rather than combustion. The plant's modular, scalable design could be replicated at other sites to help meet growing data center electricity demand.

"Data centers are growing faster than the grid can follow, and their operators need power that is both firm and low-carbon. Most power solutions offer one or the other. BaseBlue Power offers both.

We chose Topsoe because SynCOR integrates carbon capture in a proven and bankable way, at the scale and reliability a power plant demands," said Thibault Menage, Vice President US & Caribbean, HDF Energy.

Henrik Rasmussen, Managing Director of the Americas at Topsoe, called the project an important first for the company. "BaseBlue represents an important first for Topsoe: our SynCOR technology will be used to produce low-carbon blue hydrogen for a data center power project.

By combining natural gas conversion and carbon capture with HDF Energy's fuel-cell systems, the project is designed to deliver reliable electricity onsite and around the clock.

As demand for data center power grows, solutions that pair reliability with lower emissions will become increasingly important. We're excited to be working with HDF Energy to bring this approach to Texas," he said.

Building on Proven Industrial Technologies

Both core technologies carry long industrial track records. Topsoe's autothermal reformers have been delivering hydrogen molecules to the syngas industry since 1958.

SynCOR runs at a low steam-to-carbon ratio, which reduces operating costs, equipment size and footprint, and concentrates the CO2 in the process stream so it can be captured.

PEM fuel cells, with a 40-year track record, are described as a mature, increasingly scalable and cost-competitive technology. HDF Energy has been developing multi-megawatt hydrogen power plants using PEM fuel cells in Martinique and French Guiana.

To deliver BaseBlue Power at a 250 MW scale, HDF Energy is partnering with established heavy-duty fuel cell manufacturers with the industrial capacity to meet the project's requirements for volume, performance, reliability and integration.

About the Companies

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in France, HDF Energy develops hydrogen power plants that deliver firm electricity and manufactures multi-megawatt fuel cell systems.

The company has projects in development in Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, expanded to the United States in 2026, and has been listed on Euronext Paris since 2021.

Topsoe, founded in 1940 and headquartered in Denmark with around 2,500 employees, is a leading global provider of advanced energy transition solutions for producing clean and conventional fuels and chemicals.

The company offers catalysts and technologies for transforming resources into renewable, low-carbon, and conventional fuels and chemicals, as well as ensuring clean air.

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