The West African Power Pool (WAPP) completed its first full regional electric system synchronisation, unifying grid operations across 15 countries with support from GE Vernova.
The synchronisation connects Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Mauritania into a unified power network.
WAPP, a specialised agency of the Economic Community of West African States, coordinates power generation, transmission infrastructure and electricity exchange among member states.
The synchronisation offers enhanced accessibility for countries to tap regional capacity to reduce outages, expand cross-border electricity trading and better integrate renewables.
“WAPP’s historic electric system synchronisation shows what collaboration and technology can deliver,” said Roger Martella, chief corporate officer and chief sustainability officer at GE Vernova.
GE Vernova’s GridOS orchestration software, deployed last year at WAPP’s Information and Coordination Centre in Abomey-Calavi, Benin, supports dispatch, stability and energy-flow forecasting across the network.
During synchronisation, GridOS Wide Area Monitoring System tracked grid dynamics in near real time. GE Vernova’s consulting services provided technical foundation through power system stabiliser tuning, governor field testing, settings updates and coordination of network synchronisation.
GE Vernova’s grid automation telecom solution provided the communications backbone linking the coordination centre to national dispatch centers, enabling coordinated regional operations and real-time data transfer to the substation level.
The trial confirms multiple national transmission system operators can operate reliably under coordination center oversight and paves the way for an open regional electricity market to enhance cross-border power exchange.
Full permanent synchronisation is targeted for 2026.
Martella made the announcement while participating in B20 South Africa as part of the Energy Mix & Just Transition Task Force.
“At this moment, the B20 is a critical avenue to bring the private sector together with the commitments of the public sector to help lift up people through access to sustainable energy,” Martella said.
GE Vernova is advancing practical, context-specific solutions to accelerate a just and inclusive energy transition.
The company highlighted talent and skills as critical enablers of the transition. The GE Vernova Foundation is investing in technical and vocational pathways with a goal to reach 30,000 learners by 2030.
In Johannesburg, the Next Engineers programme has reached nearly 4,100 learners and awarded $36,000 in scholarships to qualifying graduates.
GE Vernova awarded $83,000 in scholarships to 10 South African graduates through its External Bursary Programme.
Since 2020, the company has provided $7.3 million in comprehensive bursaries to more than 900 beneficiaries nationwide.
GE Vernova recently convened the first Mendoza Collective Action Summit, bringing together public, private and academic leaders to expand electricity access in underserved communities and establishing the Mendoza Principles to guide future collaboration.
“The global efforts underway to electrify the planet should enable all people to share in the benefits of affordable, reliable and sustainable energy – and the economic opportunity it unlocks,” Martella said.