GE Vernova, Inc. (NYSE: GEV) is participating at B20 South Africa as part of the Energy Mix & Just Transition Task Force to help advance practical solutions that scale up more affordable, reliable, sustainable, and secure energy, and the grid infrastructure to support it. Alongside B20 participation, the company is highlighting a significant regional integration milestone achieved by the West African Power Pool (WAPP), supported by GE Vernova: WAPP conducted its first full regional electric system synchronization, unifying grid operations across 15 West African countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Mauritania. WAPP is a specialized agency of Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) in charge of promoting and developing power generation and transmission infrastructure, as well as coordinating power exchange among the ECOWAS member states.

“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 - from gas to renewables and a stronger grid - building a stronger future for all. As a member of the Energy Mix & Just Transition Task Force, GE Vernova is advancing practical, context specific solutions to accelerate a just and inclusive transition. And in West Africa, WAPP’s historic electric system synchronization shows what collaboration and technology can deliver,” said Roger Martella, Chief Corporate Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer, GE Vernova. 

The electric system synchronization offers several advantages, including enhanced accessibility for countries to tap regional capacity to reduce outages and improve reliability, expand cross-border electricity trading, and better integrate renewables. Building on last year’s deployment of GE Vernova’s GridOS® orchestration software at WAPP’s Information and Coordination Centre (ICC) in Abomey-Calavi, Benin—the centralized command center for the ECOWAS interconnected grid—GridOS tools support dispatch, stability, and energy-flow forecasting across the network, giving operators real-time visibility to monitor, analyze, and optimize power flows. During the synchronization, GE Vernova's GridOS® Wide Area Monitoring System (WAMS) tracked grid dynamics in near real time, while GE Vernova’s Consulting Services provided the technical foundation through Power System Stabilizer (PSS) tuning, governor field testing and settings updates, and coordination of the WAPP network synchronization. GE Vernova’s Grid Automation telecom solution provided the communications backbone linking the ICC to national dispatch centers across West Africa, enabling coordinated regional operations and accurate, real-time data transfer down to the substation level for synchronization decisions. This trial confirms multiple national transmission system operators can operate reliably under ICC coordination and paves the way for an open regional electricity market to enhance cross‑border power exchange across West Africa. This initial synchronization was a trial, with full permanent synchronization targeted for 2026. 

At B20 South Africa, GE Vernova is also highlighting talent and skills as critical enablers of the transition. Globally, 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 program has reached nearly 4,100 learners to date and awarded US$36,000 in scholarships to qualifying graduates. Complementing these efforts, GE Vernova awarded US$83,000 in scholarships to 10 South African graduates through its External Bursary Program, and since 2020 has provided comprehensive bursaries totaling US$7.3 million (R128.5 million) to more than 900 beneficiaries nationwide. 

GE Vernova also recently convened the first Mendoza Collective Action Summit, bringing together public, private, and academic leaders to expand access to electricity 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,” added Roger.