SPNEC awards new deals for MTerra Solar

MANILA, Philippines — Pangilinan-led SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC) has signed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) deals with Chinese firms for the south block of the P200-billion MTerra Solar.

SPNEC, through Terra Solar Philippines Inc., entered into offshore EPC contracts with China Energy International Group Co. Ltd. and China Energy Engineering Group Guangdong Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd. (GEDI).

An onshore EPC agreement was likewise executed with GEDI Construction Development Corp. (GCDC), the Philippine subsidiary of GEDI.

The offshore contractors oversee engineering and procurement, while GCDC takes the lead in constructing the project’s southern portion.

Spanning across Nueva Ecija and Bulacan, MTerra Solar consists of a 3,500-megawatt solar farm equipped with a 4,500-MW-hour battery energy storage system.

The project is poised to become the world’s largest integrated solar facility upon full completion in 2027.

Tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan’s Meralco Group took over the project after acquiring a controlling stake in SPNEC through Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN)’s renewable energy unit.

Last year, SPNEC awarded EPC contracts to Power Construction Corp. of China Ltd. and China Energy Engineering Group Co. Ltd. to develop MTerra Solar’s east and west sections, respectively.

As of September, the project was 61 percent complete and stayed on track to start injecting about 400 to 600 MW of clean power into the grid by early next year, according to MGEN president and CEO Emmanuel Rubio.