MTERRA SOLAR, the world’s largest battery-integrated solar energy project, has begun exporting an initial 250 megawatts (MW) to the grid, Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN) said.
In a press release on Monday, MGEN said MTerra Solar has also energized the first tranche of its battery energy storage system, allowing the plant to deliver as much as 450 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy to the grid at night.
“The project’s phased energization enables earlier delivery of capability to the grid, helping ease supply constraints and supporting efforts to keep up stable electricity prices amid evolving global conditions,” MGEN President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel V. Rubio said.
MTerra Solar was initially authorized to export as much as 85 MW of firm power to the grid as a part of testing and commissioning activities.
Positioned across Bulacan and Nueva Ecija, the P200-billion MTerra Solar project is anticipated to generate as much as 3,500 megawatt-peak (MWp) of solar energy, supported by a 4,500-MWh battery energy storage system.
The project is being developed in phases, with full business operations targeted by 2027.
Once accomplished, the project is anticipated to generate enough clean energy to provide about 2.4 million households.
In a separate statement, the Department of Energy said the project supports efforts to strengthen the country’s energy security amid continued volatility in global oil markets driven by developments within the Middle East.
“Every megawatt of domestic capability that we bring into the grid strengthens our ability to resist external shocks, protect consumers, and preserve system reliability,” Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said.
“Amid the Middle East conflict, accelerating the event of renewable energy and storage is each a strategic necessity and a national imperative,” she added.
MGEN is the ability generation arm of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest private electric distribution utility, serving greater than 8.2 million customers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera