Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN) has started construction of its $1.2-billion hydrogen-ready power plant in Singapore, advancing one of its biggest overseas investments as the company expands its generation footprint outside the Philippines.

MGEN said Monday that its Singapore-based subsidiary PacificLight Power Pte. Ltd. broke ground on the 670-megawatt facility on Jurong Island, which is targeted to begin operations in 2029.

The project is being developed by PLM Power Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of PacificLight. Once operational, it will be Singapore’s largest and most efficient single generating unit and will produce enough electricity to meet the needs of up to 1.2 million four-room flats.

“The groundbreaking of this hydrogen-ready power plant reflects our confidence in Singapore’s economic and energy future, as well as our commitment to further expanding MGEN’s footprint beyond the Philippines and pursuing opportunities that strengthen our presence on a global scale,” MGEN Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

“Through PacificLight, we are proud to contribute to Singapore’s energy security while advancing innovative, future-ready solutions for the region’s energy industry. As the Philippines further strengthens its role in the ASEAN region, this investment underscores the importance of deepening regional connections and collaboration,” he added.

The facility will also be the first in Singapore to combine a gas turbine with large-scale battery energy storage, allowing it to better align electricity supply with demand and support grid resiliency.

It will be capable of co-firing hydrogen at up to 30 percent by volume from the outset, with the aim of eventually transitioning to 100-percent hydrogen.

“This S$1.2-billion investment reflects MGEN’s long-term confidence in Singapore’s energy future and our commitment to supporting PacificLight as a trusted energy partner,” MGEN President and CEO Emmanuel V. Rubio said.

“By combining highly efficient, hydrogen-ready power generation with battery energy storage, the project strengthens energy security while advancing a more flexible and sustainable energy system,” he added.

Rubio said the project follows the commercial operations of MGEN’s MTerra Solar in the Philippines this year and represents another step in growing the company’s regional energy portfolio.

Singapore’s Energy Market Authority awarded PacificLight in January 2025 the right to build, own and operate the plant under its Centralised Process for new generation capacity.

The new facility will add to PacificLight’s existing 830-MW combined-cycle gas turbine plant, which has been operating since 2014, and its 100-MW Fast Start Ancillary Services facility commissioned in 2025, both on Jurong Island.

The project is being built by an engineering, procurement and construction consortium of Mitsubishi Power and Jurong Engineering Ltd. It will deploy Mitsubishi Power’s M701JAC gas turbine, which has a combined-cycle efficiency of more than 64 percent.