Accompanying Prabowo to Japan, Bahlil: We Accelerate Rp300 Trillion Project

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia revealed two main agendas assigned by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during his visit to Japan. The primary activities involve accelerating the realisation of a massive investment in the Abadi Field, Masela Block, and encouraging capital inflows for energy transition projects. Bahlil explained that he facilitated a meeting between the President Director of Inpex Corporation and President Prabowo Subianto. In that meeting, Prabowo directed that the giant gas project, which has been stalled for decades, should be executed immediately. “The President expects this project to be implemented quickly. And this year in 2026, we will conduct the EPC tender (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) and the FID (Final Investment Decision) will also be completed, and we request that this be accelerated,” Bahlil stated via his Instagram account @melangkahdaritimur, quoted on Tuesday (31/3/2026). Bahlil outlined that the investment value of the Masela Block project is recorded at US$20.9 billion or more than Rp300 trillion. This figure has swelled from the previous Plan of Development (POD) estimate of US$20 billion due to the addition of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facilities worth US$1 billion, as well as potential cost adjustments resulting from global geopolitical dynamics. The government is focusing on this project because of its giant production capacity, namely gas production reaching 1,200 MMSCFD. Bahlil is optimistic that the operation of the Masela Block will strengthen national energy resilience and position Indonesia as one of the world’s major gas players. “I requested yesterday that if the market is not yet clear, it should all be purchased by Danantara, in this case to strengthen domestic downstream industries,” Bahlil emphasised. In addition to overseeing the Masela Block project, the second agenda Bahlil brought to Japan is to ensure the acceleration of investments in the energy transition sector. The government is aggressively offering all potential new renewable energy (EBT) outside of fossil fuels to mitigate risks from geopolitical uncertainties affecting global energy supplies. “We are pushing to utilise all the potential energy sources we have besides fossil fuels. Why? Because we never know when this geopolitics will end. So whether geothermal, wind, water, sun, as long as there is efficient technology, we will push it,” he asserted.