French energy firm secures Jamaica land for utility-scale solar and hydrogen project

French renewable-energy company HDF Energy said it has secured land in Jamaica for a proposed utility-scale solar, hydrogen and battery storage project, and wants investors, contractors, suppliers and operators to participate in its development.
“HDF Caribbean invites expressions of interest from qualified organisations interested in participating in the developments, financing, construction, operation and/or equity of a utility-scale solar plus hydrogen and battery storage project in Jamaica,” according to an advertisement placed in the Sunday Gleaner.
HDF said its site could support solar panels with peak capacity of more than 160 megawatts, along with battery and hydrogen storage. It would form part of the latest entity vying to contribute to the island’s target of generating 50 per cent of its energy from renewable resources by 2030.
If built, the project would rank among the larger renewable-energy developments proposed for Jamaica to date and could become part of the wider debate over power costs, grid reliability and the country’s shift away from fossil fuel.
“In April 2026 HDF successfully procured a significant acreage of greenfield property suitable for PV project development in Jamaica,” the company said in its Jamaica Expression of Interest, dated June 26, using the industry term for solar photovoltaic power.
The Jamaica project is being advanced by HDF Energy Caribbean Holdings Ltd, the Barbados-based Caribbean arm of Hydrogène de France SA, a French hydrogen infrastructure company listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange.
HDF’s figure refers to peak solar capacity, not continuous power delivered to the grid.
HDF said a preliminary environmental and social assessment has started, and a grid study is planned to test whether the plant can be safely connected to Jamaica’s electricity network. The company has not disclosed the parish or community where the land is located.
The company invites contractors, suppliers, operators, funds and investors to indicate their interest in participating. HDF said the information will be used to identify potential partners and pre-screen entities for later project-development steps. The company cautions, however, that the notice is preliminary.
“This expression of interest does not constitute a procurement process, request for proposal, offer, commitment or obligation of any kind,” HDF stated.
The model aims to combine solar power, hydrogen and battery storage to supply electricity beyond daylight hours.
HDF says the plant’s output could support “a highly predictable revenue stream under a capacity-based, long-term power purchase agreement.” A power purchase agreement, or PPA, is a contract to sell electricity from a generating plant to the grid controlled by the utility provider, Jamaica Public Service.
RENEWABLE PUSH
Separately, the Generation Procurement Entity, or GPE, has gone to the market for information on up to 220 megawatts of renewable energy generation and 110 megawatts/220 megawatt-hours of battery storage. It is not yet clear whether HDF’s proposal aims to bid on the tender.
Although the EOI is the clearest public disclosure yet of HDF’s proposed Jamaican project, the company has had visible contact with Jamaica’s energy and investment sectors since at least 2022.
JIS records show that HDF representatives met then Energy Minister Vaz in Kingston in September 2022, and later met Matthew Samuda, then minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, in New Kingston in July 2024. HDF also participated in the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Forum in Kingston in November 2023. In 2025, HDF Caribbean said it attended the Caribbean Investment Forum in Montego Bay, where it engaged with Jamaican and regional finance, infrastructure and investment interests.
REGIONAL FOOTPRINT
HDF’s closest regional comparison is Renewstable Barbados, a solar, hydrogen and battery storage project designed to supply firm renewable electricity. The Barbados project has secured up to US$41 million in Green Climate Fund financing, while the Green Climate Fund lists its total project value at US$169 million.
In Trinidad and Tobago, HDF acquired a 70 per cent majority stake in the NewGen hydrogen project, led by local developer Kenesjay Green Ltd. That project targets lower-carbon hydrogen for an existing ammonia plant in the Point Lisas petrochemical hub.
FINANCIAL BACKDROP
HDF’s Jamaica move comes as the French-listed group remains in project-development and investment mode. Consolidated revenue fell to €998,000 in 2025 from €11.1 million in 2024. The prior year’s figure included a one-off €9.7-million sale of first-generation fuel cells for the CEOG power project in French Guiana.
HDF posted a consolidated net loss of €5.75 million in 2025, compared with a loss of €10.86 million in 2024. The group held cash of €33.5 million at year end, down from €39.2 million a year earlier.
The annual report focused its Caribbean disclosures on Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.
carolyn.guniss@rjrgleaner.com