Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen), the power generation arm of Manila Electric Co., is open to tapping artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize the future operations of its flagship TerraSolar 1 project, particularly in managing excess energy storage and dispatch beyond its contracted supply.

MGen President and CEO Emmanuel V. Rubio said in an interview with reporters on the sidelines of a forum on Tuesday that the company has begun discussions with industrial technology firm Schneider Electric on the potential development of smarter power plants.

He said the preliminary talks also include exploring the use of predictive analytics for MGen’s older coal-fired facilities—Cebu Energy Development Corp. (CEDC) and Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC).

“The initial talks with Schneider are to look into predictive analytics at our coal plants, CEDC, and PEDC. These are units that are more than 10 years old. We’re talking about upgrades in its control systems. And once we’re done with that, then we can consider predictive analytics,” Rubio said.

“I think one of the major opportunities is to use AI in how we operate TerraSolar 1. That’s huge. We can do a lot about that plan in optimizing a 3,500-megawatt (MW) solar farm with 4,500 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery storage,”.

However, he noted that the company will prioritize meeting its supply commitment to Meralco first before shifting focus to optimization.

“We will operate it first to meet the requirements of Meralco of 850 MW, 8 AM to 9 PM. Whatever we can do, as long as we are meeting that capacity, anything outside of that, then we will work with Schneider on how we can optimize the charging and discharging,” Rubio said. 

“But we need to meet that delivery. Outside of that, then okay, we can optimize as much as we can.”

TerraSolar 1 is being developed by Terra Solar Philippines Inc., an affiliate of SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC). 

Once completed, the project will deliver 850 MW of mid-merit clean energy from 8 AM to 9 PM, enough to supply over two million households. MGen’s renewable energy unit, MGreen, holds a controlling stake in SPNEC.

To date, the project is 45 percent complete. SPNEC aims to finish the installation of 700 MW worth of solar panels by July, adding to the 100 MW already in place. Rubio said this keeps the project on track for completion by March 2026.