MTerra Solar’s first phase 54% complete

This was achieved eight months after its groundbreaking.

The first phase of the MTerra Solar project in the Philippines has reached 54% completion, with the installation of 778 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) panels as of end-June.

According to Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGEN), this means the project has not only surpassed its 750 MW target at this stage but also positions MTerra Solar as the largest solar PV installation of its kind in the Philippines to date. This was also achieved eight months after the company broke ground for the project.

MTerra Solar, a 3,500-MW facility in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Bulacan, is set to become the world’s largest integrated solar PV and battery energy storage facility. It will also have a 500-kiloVolt transmission line that will connect it to the Nagsaag-San Jose Transmission Line.

More than 9,500 workers were mobilised at its peak, with over 7.5 million safe manhours recorded.

The company aims to complete phase one by early 2026 and phase two the following year.

Once completed, MTerra Solar is expected to deliver 3,500 megawatt-peak of solar capacity, complemented by 4,500 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage. This will provide clean power to about 2.4 million Filipino households and help avoid up to 4.3 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

The project will also allow MGEN to exceed its 1,500 MW attributable renewable energy capacity goal by 2027, three years ahead of its original 2030 timeline.