Feb 7 (Reuters) - Germany's Linde (LIN.N), on Tuesday forecast higher earnings for 2023 and said it plans to invest $7-$9 billion over the next two-to-three years in clean energy projects to benefit from demand from companies seeking to cut emissions. Chief Executive Sanjiv Lamba said on a conference call that as part of that investment, Linde plans to spend $3 billion to convert 11 to 13 existing assets to clean hydrogen. The total investment opportunity for the German company in the United States alone could exceed $30 billion over the next decade, CEO Lamba said in late 2022. It reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.16 per share, beating analysts' $2.91 per share estimate in a Refinitiv poll. Reporting by Bartosz Dabrowski and Andrey Sychev in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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