AHY Hopes Giant Sea Wall on Pantura to Begin Construction in 2027

JAKARTA — Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) hopes the Giant Sea Wall project on the Pantura coast of Java can begin construction in 2027. ‘We are pursuing it continuously; hopefully next year the concept can be more mature,’ AHY said when met in Senayan, Jakarta, on Saturday (23 May 2026). The chairman of the Democratic Party emphasised that the concept of the seawall is crucial because the project involves many regions and stakeholders. ‘If we talk about the Giant Sea Wall, this is also a megaproject being formulated and refined because it does not involve just one or two parties. It involves five provinces, 20 regencies, five cities across Indonesia, especially those on Pantura,’ AHY said. According to AHY, around 50 million people live in the Pantura area which currently faces the threat of tidal flooding in several areas, especially Jakarta Bay, Semarang, Demak, and Kendal. ‘Subsidence of the land can be said to be getting worse year by year, dropping by 5-15 cm, 15 to 20 cm each year. This requires intervention, an infrastructure solution,’ he said. In addition to protecting coastal communities, the Giant Sea Wall project is also aimed at protecting key industrial zones, special economic zones, and food production centres from the threat of saltwater intrusion. ‘At the same time, it will also protect a number of strategic industrial areas, special economic zones, and finally the food centres which up to today are also increasingly threatened by saltwater intrusion,’ he added. AHY added that the Giant Sea Wall project also requires a large budget, so the government will involve the private sector and business communities from domestic and foreign origins. ‘So we want to combine all these approaches, which will require a large budget, and this is where the country will invite many parties, private sector and other business communities, both domestic and international, because ultimately this is also an investment for our economy in the future,’ concluded AHY.