Topsoe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark) has been selected by HDF Energy S.A. (Bordeaux, France) as technology licensor for BaseBlue. The power project is planned to supply data centers in Texas with reliable, low-carbon electricity.
Under the agreement, Topsoe will provide the license, process design and basic engineering, proprietary equipment, and catalysts for the project’s hydrogen production and CO₂ capture unit. The project will be based on Topsoe’s SynCOR™ autothermal reforming technology.
The project is being developed to address growing demand for reliable electricity from data centers and plans to convert natural gas from the Permian Basin into low-carbon hydrogen. The hydrogen produced is considered low-carbon as the project is expected to capture more than 95% of the CO₂ generated during production – about 1.1 million metric tons annually.
HDF Energy plans to produce approximately 250 MW of power. The BaseBlue project will produce approximately 400 metric tons of low-carbon hydrogen per day, also referred to as blue hydrogen, and capture more than 95% of the CO₂ generated in the hydrogen production.
Henrik Rasmussen, Managing Director for the Americas at Topsoe, said: “HDF Energy’s BaseBlue project 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 behind the meter 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.”
Thibault Menage, Vice President US & Caribbean, HDF Energy, said: “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.”