MANILA, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Philippine energy firm SP New Energy Corporation (SPNEC) has broken ground for a large solar project in central Luzon, north of Manila, the company said Monday.
The Terra Solar project would cover around 3,500 hectares in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan provinces and the first phase is expected to be completed by early 2026, the company said.
"To meet this timeline, SPNEC is expediting its site clearing activities ahead of the construction of the project's interconnection facilities with the national grid and the installation of over 5 million solar panels," the company said in a statement.
The 200-billion pesos (3.6 billion U.S. dollars) solar energy farm is designed to have 3,500 MW (megawatt) of solar panels and 4,000 MWh (megawatt hour) of battery storage. It will have the capacity to generate over 5 billion kilowatt-hours annually.
The project would also translate to an estimated 5 percent of the total volume of the Philippine grid and 12 percent of its total demand, the company said. ■
