Meralco PowerGen Corporation and its partners inaugurated Phase 1 of the MTerra Solar project in Gapan, Nueva Ecija on July 14, 2026, energizing 1,373 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity and 825 megawatts of battery energy storage on a single site. The facility, developed through a joint venture involving SP New Energy Corporation and Actis, is now positioned to fulfill a 600-megawatt mid-merit power supply agreement with Manila Electric Company.
Key Facts At A Glance
- Phase 1 capacity: 1,373 MW solar PV and 825 MW battery energy storage on a single site
- Location: Gapan, Nueva Ecija, supplying the Luzon grid
- Project cost cited at inauguration: P200 billion
- Developer: Terra Solar Philippines Inc., a joint venture between SP New Energy Corporation and Actis, under Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGen)
- Power offtake: 600 MW mid-merit power supply agreement with Manila Electric Company
- All 741 battery units fully energized as of inauguration
- Grid compliance testing expected to begin end of July 2026, ahead of final certificate of approval to connect from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines
- Full commercial operation targeted for August 2026; Phase 2 targeted for completion by 2027, with eventual full capacity of 3,500 MW solar and 4,500 MWh of storage
Manila Electric Company’s power generation arm inaugurated the first phase of what it describes as the world’s largest integrated solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage facility on a single site on July 14, 2026. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. attended the ceremony and said the project demonstrates the country’s capacity to execute renewable energy infrastructure at global scale. Meralco Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said the facility “rises not in Texas, not in the Gobi Desert, but right here in Gapan, Nueva Ecija,” and credited the Marcos administration, the Department of Energy, local government units, host communities, and investment partner Actis for the project’s completion.
MGen President Emmanuel Rubio said grid compliance testing is expected to start by the end of July 2026, after which the project will seek its final certificate of approval to connect for Phase 1 from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. All 741 battery units at the site have been fully energized, and the project has logged more than 30 million work hours without a lost-time injury, according to Rubio.
Pangilinan said Meralco will continue expanding its investment in solar and battery storage capacity as part of the country’s broader shift toward cleaner energy. He described the goal as making reliable clean energy “a birthright for all Filipinos” rather than a privilege.
Renewables Alongside Baseload Expansion
The Phase 1 milestone follows MGen’s earlier disclosure that it had energized an initial 250 MW of MTerra Solar capacity in March 2026, marking its entry as a power generator on the national grid, alongside a battery system then described as the country’s largest operational BESS. MGen has said its broader strategy integrates baseload, renewable, and storage technologies, and the company separately maintains plans for gas and coal-fired capacity additions, including a proposed 1,200 MW ultra-supercritical coal plant in Atimonan, Quezon Province targeted for 2030.
Once fully built out, MTerra Solar is expected to reach 3,500 MW of solar capacity supported by 4,500 megawatt-hours of battery storage, with Phase 2 targeted for completion in 2027.