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.

Danish Technology Licensor Selected for Permian Basin Project

The announcement made commitments to the Danish company to supply 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.

Under the design, BaseBlue Power will produce 400 tons of hydrogen per day from Permian Basin natural gas and capture 98% of the associated CO2, roughly 1.1 million metric tons per year, which will be compressed and stored underground.

The hydrogen will feed approximately 250 MW of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells that generate firm electricity with rapid response to fluctuations in demand, delivering power directly to data center facilities from 2030.

A Different Approach to Powering Data Centers

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 path.

Topsoe's SynCOR technology will convert natural gas into hydrogen through autothermal reforming. The process produces a concentrated CO2 stream that is captured and compressed before any fuel is burned, then transported by pipeline for underground storage in the region.

The hydrogen then powers the PEM fuel cells, which offer electrical efficiency above 50%, modular deployment, and response within seconds to load swings, emitting only water at the point of generation.

"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 at HDF Energy.

Topsoe Sees a First for SynCOR in Data Center Power

For Topsoe, the project marks a new application for its reforming technology. "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," said Henrik Rasmussen, Managing Director of the Americas at Topsoe.

"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."

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 that it can be captured.

Building on Proven Industrial Technologies

Both companies point to long operational track records behind the project. Topsoe's ATRs have been delivering hydrogen molecules to the syngas industry since 1958. PEM fuel cells, meanwhile, carry a 40-year track record and are described as a mature, increasingly scalable and cost-competitive technology.

HDF Energy itself 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.

A Replicable Model for Data Center Power

BaseBlue Power's modular, scalable design could be replicated at other sites to help meet growing data center electricity demand, according to the announcement.

HDF Energy develops hydrogen power plants that deliver firm electricity and manufactures multi-megawatt fuel cell systems.

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in France, the company has projects in development in Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia-Pacific and expanded to the United States in 2026.

HDF Energy has been listed on Euronext Paris since 2021. Topsoe, founded in 1940 and headquartered in Denmark, is a leading global provider of advanced energy transition solutions for producing clean and conventional fuels and chemicals, with around 2,500 employees serving customers around the globe.

The company offers world-leading catalysts and technologies for transforming resources into renewable, low-carbon, and conventional fuels and chemicals, as well as ensuring clean air. The BaseBlue PowerSize plant is expected to deliver firm, low-carbon electricity to data centers in West Texas from 2030.