MTerra Solar Phase 1 starts commercial operations: 600 MWac mid-merit for Meralco.

MTerra Solar Phase 1 has declared commercial operations for 600 MWac of mid-merit capacity under its Power Supply Agreement with Manila Electric Company (Meralco), according to the project’s 3 September 2026 press release carried via PES and matching coverage in PV Tech (7 September) and Construction Review Online (4 September). Commercial operations are dated from 26 August 2026. Soft FLAG: the COD calendar is 26 August; the desk’s cut recirculates September primary and trade reporting — attribute the August start date, do not treat mid-September as a second COD.

The mechanism is grid approval plus offtake. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) issued a Final Certificate of Approval to Connect (FCATC) confirming the facility met requirements to connect and operate 950 MWac of solar capacity and 825 MW of battery energy storage on the national grid, the company release and PV Tech both report. That FCATC clears a larger connection envelope than the 600 MWac mid-merit tranche now in commercial service under the Meralco PSA; a further 250 MWac under the same PSA is set to enter commercial operations in the coming months. Construction Review Online adds that the project connects via a 500-kilovolt transmission line to the Nagsaag–San Jose Transmission Line.

Scale figures, kept attributed to company and trade outlets: Phase 1 inauguration on 14 July 2026 celebrated energization of 1,373 MWac of solar PV and 825 MW / 3,300 MWh of BESS — described then as the world’s largest integrated solar PV and battery storage facility on a single site. Soft FLAG: “world’s largest” is company/outlet framing at inauguration and in subsequent COD coverage — the desk attributes the claim and does not independently rank global sites. Full build-out is planned at 3,500 MWp solar PV and 4,500 MWh BESS across five municipalities in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan on about 3,500 hectares, with Phase 2 scheduled for 2027. Actis’s investment is reported at U.S. $600 million and characterised in the company materials as the Philippines’ largest foreign direct investment for a greenfield infrastructure project to date — again company/outlet framing.

Named actors: Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of Meralco and Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGEN), framed the solar-plus-storage combination as strengthening energy security at unprecedented scale. Dennis B. Jordan, president and CEO of MGEN Renewables and MTerra Solar, tied the FCATC to coordination with NGCP and regulators at the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission, and to investor Actis. Emmanuel V. Rubio, president and CEO of MGEN, said the project is now delivering power rather than remaining under construction. Rahul Agrawal, managing director and head of SEA Energy at Actis, called the groundbreaking-to-commercial-power timeline for Phase 1 — under two years from November 2024 — a large operational achievement. Ownership stack as PV Tech and the company release describe it: Terra Solar Philippines is a joint investment involving MGEN Renewable Energy (via SP New Energy Corporation / SPNEC) and Actis (Actis stake cited at 40 percent in PV Tech).

What to watch without mood: commercial start of the remaining 250 MWac under the same PSA; any NGCP or ERC notices that publish firmer operating limits inside the 950 MWac / 825 MW FCATC envelope; Phase 2 2027 completion markers; household-supply and emissions-avoided figures (company projections of about 2.4 million households and 4.3 million tonnes a year at full build-out) if and when verified in regulator filings.

Floor: MTerra Phase 1 COD from 26 Aug — 600 MWac mid-merit to Meralco; NGCP FCATC covers 950 MWac solar + 825 MW BESS; +250 MWac next.