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Brix Lelis - The Philippine Star
February 23, 2025 | 12:00am
MGen, through MGen Renewable Energy Inc. (MGreen), recently inaugurated the Bongabon Solar Power Project, which was awarded under the government’s second green energy auction program in 2023.
Businessworld / File
MANILA, Philippines — Tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan’s Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen) has switched on its 19.8-megawatt (MW) solar farm in Nueva Ecija, at least eight months ahead of the original timeline.
MGen, through MGen Renewable Energy Inc. (MGreen), recently inaugurated the Bongabon Solar Power Project, which was awarded under the government’s second green energy auction program in 2023.
Originally scheduled for completion in October 2025, the project is expected to provide clean power to at least 20,000 homes and avoid around 19,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.
“More than just a solar power plant, MGreen Bongabon Solar is about creating opportunities, reducing our carbon footprint, and setting a new standard for renewable energy initiatives in our country,” MGreen president and CEO Dennis Jordan said.
The solar facility aligns with MGen’s goal of developing up to 1,500-MW of attributable renewable energy capacity by 2030.
It also supports the government’s target of expanding the share of renewables in the country’s energy mix to 35 percent by 2030 from the current 22 percent.
“(Locals) will be getting most of the benefits of this project. We want to make sure that the project will continue for at least the next 20 years,” said Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan, who attended the project’s inauguration.
With the successful activation of Bongabon Solar, MGreen is now setting its sights on adding 85.2-MW of new solar capacity to its growing portfolio this year.
The company intends to inaugurate a new solar project in Isabela and expand its existing solar facility in Rizal in a bid to further strengthen its clean energy fleet.
By 2026, MGreen is set to complete the first phase of the $4-billion MTerra Solar in Central Luzon, which is poised to become the world’s largest integrated solar and battery energy storage system facility.
Upon full completion in 2027, the project will provide clean and sustainable power to around 2.4 million households in Luzon.
The Meralco Group took over the project in 2023 after acquiring a controlling stake in SP New Energy Corp. through MGreen, the renewable energy unit of MGen.
As the power generation arm of energy giant Manila Electric Co., MGen has a total gross generation capacity of 2,425 MW that is capable of supplying baseload, intermediate, peak load and ancillary support to the grid.
