Philippine Solar Project Connects to National Grid, On Track to Become World's Largest

The Philippines' largest solar installation was connected to the Luzon power grid last month, a milestone achieved in under 15 months since construction began and a sign of the country's accelerating push toward renewable energy.

Meralco PowerGen Corp. announced Feb. 12 that Phase 1 of the MTerra Solar project in Gapan, Nueva Ecija had completed its initial grid synchronization and energization — confirming the system is ready for safe and stable power export. The event was attended by officials from the Department of Energy, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and project partner Actis.

The project already has 1,288 megawatts DC of installed solar photovoltaic capacity as of January — the largest solar installation in the Philippines to date. By the end of February, the project is targeting 250 megawatts AC of solar capacity and 112.5 megawatt-hours of battery storage, with plans to begin exporting 85 megawatts of continuous power to the grid.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the project carries significant national weight. Once fully completed, she said, MTerra Solar alone will generate power for roughly 10% of Luzon.

MGEN President and CEO Emmanuel V. Rubio called the grid connection a beginning rather than a finish line. "MTerra Solar proves the Philippines can build big — and build fast," he said.

Phase 2 construction has also begun, with the project's first pile installation already underway. When fully complete, MTerra Solar is expected to deliver 3,500 megawatts peak of solar capacity paired with 4,500 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage — a scale that developers say would make it the world's largest integrated solar and battery storage facility.

Actis Managing Director Barry Lynch noted the project has drawn international attention. "No matter where I go in the world, everyone wants to talk about the MTerra Solar project — whether it's in Brazil, India, or Japan," he said. "The whole energy industry globally is watching."

The project is being built to fulfill a power supply agreement with Meralco and supports the Philippines' national targets of 35% renewable energy by 2030 and 50% by 2040.