Indonesia Pushes Abadi Masela Gas Project Toward Construction

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, confirmed that the giant Abadi Masela gas field project in Maluku will soon enter a new phase after experiencing delays for decades. The project, designated as a National Strategic Project (PSN), is targeted to enter the construction stage in 2027.

As quoted by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's website, the minister said that the government continues accelerating the project to prevent previous investment obstacles from recurring in the future. According to him, several crucial stages have shown positive progress, including the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) process.

“Abadi Masela Block was delayed for decades and never reached completion, but after decisions and studies were finalized, I instructed Inpex to move immediately. Now, thankfully, the project is progressing, and construction will begin in 2027,” said Bahlil during his keynote speech at the Mid-Year Review of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (KTT–INDEF) on Thursday, 25 June.

He further explained that Masela Block is currently one of the largest natural gas assets owned by Indonesia. The government expects the project operated by Inpex Corporation together with its partner to begin production during the 2029 to 2030 period to strengthen national energy resilience.

“The project will already be producing by 2029 to 2030, and it is one of the largest giants in Indonesia,” Bahlil added. The statement reflected government expectations regarding the strategic contribution of the project to domestic energy supply.

Previously, during a state visit with President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto to Japan in March 2026, Bahlil received directives to accelerate two main agendas. These priorities consisted of energy transition investment and completion of the strategic Abadi Masela Block project.

Following these directions, Bahlil invited Chief Executive Officer of Inpex Corporation Takayuki Ueda to discuss accelerating development of the Masela Block project. The project, valued at approximately USD20 billion or equivalent to IDR339 trillion using an exchange rate of IDR16,900 per United States dollar, has become one of the largest energy projects currently promoted by the government.

During the meeting, Takayuki Ueda conveyed Inpex’s commitment to accelerate completion of the Abadi Masela Project. The commitment marked continued coordination between the government and project operators to support implementation progress.