ItInsightsWorld General: Songon combined-cycle power plant in Côte d’Ivoire to Use GE Vernova 9E gas turbine for the 372-MW Songon facility, with 2029 Entry and up to 1,400 jobs

A power-infrastructure milestone is taking shape in the Songon region near Abidjan, where the Songon combined-cycle power plant has moved to the technology-supply stage after financing agreements were signed last June. Songon Energies has selected GE Vernova to provide a 9E gas turbine and generator, while China Energy International Engineering Co., Ltd. is designated as the EPC contractor. The planned delivery point is 372 megawatts (MW), an output level compared in the project description with the needs of approximately 5 million Ivorian homes.

GE Vernova 9E gas turbine.

National demand profile and policy direction

Côte d’Ivoire enters this project phase from a base that has improved rapidly but still faces structural pressure. The electrification rate reached 94.3 percent in 2024, a trend supported by national programs such as the Electricity for All Program (PEPT). The stated policy destination is universal access and higher power quality by 2030, while annual demand growth is assessed at 10 to 15 percent and rural coverage remains an outstanding requirement.

Role of the new Songon facility

The 372-MW Songon facility is framed as a capacity bridge. Once operations begin on schedule in 2029, it could account for up to 12 percent of the national installed base. The workforce dimension is also central: the project is expected to create up to 1,400 jobs, and related project references describe up to 1,400 new jobs tied to delivery and local economic participation.

Supplier presence and operating logic

GE Vernova’s position in Côte d’Ivoire is presented as continuous and service-weighted rather than equipment-only. The local footprint includes long-term service contracts, digital software deployments, key power transmission hardware and a large installed base. The operational logic is to combine global technical resources with local execution so that power plant operators can expand capacity while improving energy security and reliability.

Read together, the technology selection, EPC assignment, capacity target, schedule and employment estimate position the Songon project as a single package: a new-generation generation asset intended to support a market that is already highly electrified but still seeking stronger resilience and continued rural expansion.