President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurated the first phase of the MTerra Solar Project in Nueva Ecija on Tuesday, describing it as a major step in expanding the country’s renewable energy capacity and strengthening long-term energy security.
The facility, developed by Terra Solar Philippines Inc., an affiliate of Meralco PowerGen Corp., is expected to become the world’s largest integrated solar and battery storage project located on a single site once fully completed.
Marcos said the project would help reduce the country’s dependence on conventional fuel sources, particularly coal, and lessen the impact of fluctuations in global energy prices amid continued geopolitical uncertainty.
He noted that renewable energy still accounted for a smaller share of the country’s power generation than conventional sources, underscoring the need to diversify the energy mix and accelerate the transition to cleaner power.
Meralco PowerGen chair Manny Pangilinan said the project demonstrated the country’s capability to build renewable energy infrastructure on a global scale through the combined efforts of government and the private sector.
Phase I has reached about 91 percent completion and is expected to begin full commercial operations in August, while Phase II is targeted for completion in 2027.
Once both phases are operational, the facility is projected to generate up to 3,500 megawatts of solar power supported by 4,500 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage. It is expected to supply electricity to more than 2.4 million households and reduce carbon emissions by about 4.3 million metric tons each year.
The Department of Energy has continued expanding the country’s renewable energy program, although regulators have acknowledged that progress toward the target of increasing the share of clean energy in the national power mix remains slower than planned.
