Abadi Masela Gas Project Breaks Ground After Nearly Three Decades, Prabowo: Development Must Not Be Hindered

President Prabowo Subianto has officially broken ground on the Abadi Masela gas project, a strategic national initiative that has been delayed for nearly three decades. The ceremony was conducted online from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, 16 July 2026. The President was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot Tanjung, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Foreign Minister Sugiono, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Meanwhile, at the project site in the Tanimbar Islands Regency, Maluku, the event was attended by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of National Development Planning Rachmat Pambudy, Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Nusron Wahid, Chief of the Presidential Staff Office Dudung Abdurachman, Inpex CSO Takayuki Ueda, Pertamina CEO Simon Aloysius Mantiri, and Maluku Governor Hendrik Lewerissa. In his remarks, the Head of State noted that the project had been awaited for almost three decades. He expressed gratitude that construction had finally commenced and insisted that the development must not face any further delays. “This project has been awaited for almost three decades. Alhamdulillah, today we begin construction, and the development must not be hindered; it must be completed in the shortest possible time,” Prabowo stated. He emphasized that the Masela Block project is crucial for achieving Indonesia’s founding goals, particularly in ensuring the nation’s survival. The President acknowledged the nation’s awareness of the abundant natural resources granted by God, including the gas reserves in the Masela Block, and thanked all parties for their hard work in realizing the project’s commencement.