Bahlil: The Giant Masela Gas Project to Enter the Construction Phase in 2027

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, confirmed that the giant Masela gas field project in Maluku will soon enter the construction phase in 2027, after being delayed for decades. The project, which is included in the National Strategic Project (PSN) list, is targeted to start production in the 2029–2030 period.

He also said the government continues to oversee the acceleration of the development of the Masela Abadi Block, so that the strategic project is no longer hindered by investment issues or the licensing process. According to him, several important stages, including Front End Engineering and Design (FEED), have now shown significant progress.

"This Masela Abadi Block has been delayed for decades, never completed." After there was finally a decision and study, I asked Inpex to proceed immediately. Now, thank God, it is already underway. In 2027, construction," Bahlil said while giving the keynote speech at the Mid-Year Review of INDEF (KTT-INDEF), Jakarta, Thursday, June 25, 2026.

He explained that the Masela Abadi Block is one of the largest natural gas reserves in Indonesia, which is expected to support national energy resilience and increase domestic gas supply in the future.

According to the Minister, if the construction goes according to plan, the project will start production in 2029 to 2030. "The year 2029 to 2030 will already be in production, and it will be one of the largest giants in Indonesia," he said.

The acceleration of the development of the Masela Abadi Block has become one of the government's priority agendas following President Prabowo Subianto's state visit to Japan in March 2026. On that occasion, the President directed the government to accelerate the realization of investments in the energy transition sector, including the completion of the strategic Masela Block project.

As a follow-up, Bahlil invited the President Director and CEO of INPEX Corporation, Takayuki Ueda, to discuss the acceleration of the project's development. The Abadi Masela project is estimated to have an investment value of around 20 billion US dollars or equivalent to 339 trillion IDR.

In the meeting, Takayuki Ueda reaffirmed INPEX's commitment to accelerating the development of the Masela Abadi Project in accordance with the targets set by the government.