The Department of Energy announced over the weekend that the 364-megawatt first stage of the Terra Solar project reached key grid interconnection milestones with the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
This follows the Dec. 21 energization of the Terra Solar 500-kilovolt substation along the Nagsaag–San Jose 500-kV Line 2. The project is part of the DOE’s monitoring of 200 power generation projects.
Terra Solar Philippines Inc., a unit of Meralco PowerGen Corp., is developing the project, which is expected to deliver 3,500 megawatts peak of solar photovoltaic capacity, complemented by 4,500 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage.The Terra Solar project spans 3,500 hectares across the towns of Gapan, Peñaranda, General Tinio and San Leonardo in Nueva Ecija, and San Miguel in Bulacan.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the DOE to accelerate the construction of 200 power generation projects over the next three years to strengthen energy security.
The DOE said that as of November 2025, about 956 MW of new power generation capacity had been added to the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao grids, complemented by 160 MW of new energy storage in Luzon and Visayas.
The 956 MW of new capacity comes from 14 power plants: 12 renewable energy facilities, one oil-based plant and one natural gas-fired plant. Most entered commissioning in the second half of 2025.
The agency said these projects help the grid meet peak demand, reduce the risk of supply shortfalls and improve flexibility.
To ensure capacity is delivered on schedule, the DOE is implementing active project monitoring. This includes coordination with proponents and the NGCP on interconnection readiness, tracking construction milestones and identifying bottlenecks such as permitting constraints, right-of-way issues and equipment delivery risks.
Through these efforts, the DOE aims to strengthen accountability and ensure new capacity supports the grid when needed most.
