Electricity demand in Côte d'Ivoire is growing by 10 to 15 percent a year, according to GE Vernova, and a new 372 MW plant outside Abidjan is meant to help carry it. GE Vernova announced on 20 October that it will supply a 9E gas turbine and generator for the Songon combined-cycle plant. The customer is Songon Energies, an Ivorian company that develops energy infrastructure. The plant is scheduled to start operating in 2029.
Who Is Building What At Songon
The order was booked in the third quarter of 2026, and Songon Energies signed its financing agreements in June. China Energy International Engineering is the EPC contractor. GE Vernova says it also expects to support the high-voltage substation, the digital software and the long-term service, but it does not present these as part of the order.
Some numbers from the release and the Turbomachinery report on it:
- 372 MW, which GE Vernova says would meet the needs of about five million Ivorian homes;
- up to 12 percent of the country's installed generating base;
- up to 1,400 new jobs, according to GE Vernova;
- electrification at 94.3 percent in 2024, with universal access targeted for 2030.
Songon Energies named GE Vernova's presence in the country and its confidence in the 9E technology as the reasons for the choice. Wang Xiaoming, deputy general manager and acting chief executive of Songon Energies, expects the plant to ease the energy pressure on the Abidjan area. Joseph Anis, who runs GE Vernova's gas power business for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, speaks of reliable, dispatchable power for long-term growth. The report adds that Côte d'Ivoire also exports electricity within the West African Power Pool.
What The Release Leaves Open
There is no contract value, and no exact start date within 2029. The release speaks of "a 9E gas turbine" but does not say how many turbines make up the 372 MW, so the layout of the combined cycle is not known. The fuel is not stated either, and for a plant of this size it is the first thing the whole project depends on: the supply contract and the pipeline or terminal behind it.
A gas turbine is rated at standard conditions, and a site near the coast in the tropics is warmer and wetter than the rating. Output at the fence follows the air that actually enters the machine, which is why project teams ask early what the intake air will be like on the worst days. See our notes on gas turbines. The steam side of a combined cycle must reject its heat as well, and whether that is done to air or to water is a site decision the announcement does not mention. For other plants of this type see power plants.
Sources: GE Vernova, Turbomachinery Magazine
