GE Vernova to supply turbine for 372 MW Songon power plant

On October 20, GE Vernova announced an order from Songon Energies to supply a 9E gas turbine and generator for the Songon combined-cycle plant near Abidjan. The company said the facility is expected to deliver 372 MW, with operations scheduled to begin in 2029. China Energy International Engineering is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor. Financing agreements for the project were signed in June, according to GE Vernova. The company projects that the infrastructure could create up to 1,400 jobs. GE Vernova said the plant could account for up to 12% of the country’s installed capacity when it enters service. It reported annual electricity demand growth of 10–15%, despite an electrification rate of 94.3% in 2024. Songon Energies expects the project to serve demand in Greater Abidjan. The equipment order was booked in the third quarter of 2026, although the public announcement came in October. The supplier says the order was booked in the third quarter of 2026. Songon Energies describes the plant as support for Greater Abidjan’s industrial zones, small and medium-sized businesses and future electricity demand. GE Vernova places the project within a national context of 94.3% electrification in 2024, while noting that rural access still needs expansion and citing the government’s universal-electrification goal for 2030. Its release also discusses high-voltage substations, digital systems and long-term services as areas of wider system support, rather than listing them all as confirmed components of this turbine order. Nexus analysis: The confirmed commercial development is an equipment order. The projected plant capacity and employment effects depend on subsequent construction and operation, while national access statistics do not establish the reliability of supply at individual industrial sites.