Bahlil Accompanies Prabowo to Japan, Accelerate Trillion-Rupiah Projects?

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia is travelling to Japan to accompany Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including in the energy sector.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dwi Anggia, explained that the trip opens up significant opportunities for Indonesia to forge concrete collaborations with Japan, particularly in developing sustainable energy.

“The Energy and Mineral Resources Minister is joining the flight, accompanying President Prabowo on the visit to Japan. Several matters are being discussed, including one in the energy sector, for the development of clean and sustainable energy,” Anggia stated in an official remark, quoted on Monday (30/3/2026).

During the visit, Bahlil plays a role in ensuring that the potential for energy cooperation between Indonesia and Japan can be realised to the mutual benefit of both countries. This aligns with the government’s target to strengthen national energy resilience through the utilisation of technology from partner nations.

Previously, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya mentioned that this meeting is expected to be an important momentum for strengthening cooperation between the two countries. During the visit, President Prabowo is scheduled to hold a state meeting with Japanese Emperor Naruhito as well as bilateral meetings with the Japanese Government in Tokyo.

“The meeting is expected to be a strategic momentum to strengthen cooperation in various fields. There are several areas of cooperation in investment, energy, maritime, and digital sectors,” he explained.

In addition to Bahlil, Prabowo is also accompanied by Foreign Minister Sugiono and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.

Masela Project

In mid-March, Bahlil also conducted a working visit to Japan, one of which was to urge Japanese oil and gas giant Inpex Corporation to accelerate the execution of the Abadi Field gas project in the Masela Block.

The government has assured that the project, valued at US20billionorequivalenttoRp339.4trillion(assuminganexchangerateofRp16, 970perUS), will soon enter the final investment decision stage.

Currently, progress on the oil and gas block development project has reached about 25%. He asked Inpex to advance the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) phase in the second quarter or at the latest the third quarter of 2026 so that the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) tender can proceed in parallel.

“Because we want this to move quickly so it doesn’t drag on any longer. It’s been 27 years; do we want to wait until I’m 60 years old before it happens? Moreover, that’s my mother’s village. So I think we can all tender the EPC this year,” Bahlil stated during a meeting with Inpex’s CEO in Tokyo, Japan, quoted from an official remark on Monday (16/3/2026).

To accelerate the achievement of that target, Bahlil provided a solution regarding the certainty of absorbing liquefied natural gas (LNG) production from the Abadi Masela Field, which reaches 9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).

He offered for the Nusantara Future Investment Management Agency (Danantara) to purchase the gas supply for the downstream industrialisation programme if Inpex has not secured a serious buyer by the end of April 2026.

“So that there is buyer certainty. I appreciate foreign buyers, but at this time, the Indonesian state must step in to work together with Inpex to ensure operations. So we’ll be the ones to buy it,” he emphasised.

In response, Inpex Corporation CEO Takayuki Ueda welcomed Indonesia’s push. Ueda assured that all of Inpex’s management has a strong commitment to soon realising the long-awaited project.

“Thank you very much, Minister, for your generosity and commitment to support this project. Because this is not just a personal issue for me, but we at Inpex’s ranks also have a commitment to accelerate the realisation of Abadi; I’ve been working on Abadi for 12 years,” Ueda stated.

According to him, direct discussions with the Indonesian Government provide significant moral encouragement for the company. They claim to be even more motivated to soon complete the development and construction of the oil and gas block infrastructure.

“Not just the Minister, but we also have the same commitment to get Abadi done soon. And after discussing with the Minister, we are even more enthusiastic to accelerate the completion of the Abadi project,” he added.

From an administrative perspective, the Abadi Masela Project is progressing smoothly with several permits already completed at the beginning of this year. The Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL) document was issued in mid-February 2026, following the approval for the release of forest areas from the Ministry of Forestry in January.

Key Milestones of the Masela Block

Inpex Masela Ltd is the largest participating interest (Participating Interest/PI) holder in the Masela Block, at 65%.

Previously, Inpex was partnered with Shell Upstream Overseas Services with a 35% stake. However, Shell decided to withdraw from the eternal gas project located in Maluku.

Shell’s 35% stake has been taken over by PT Pertamina Hulu Energi through its subsidiary PT Pertamina Hulu Energi Masela (PHE Masela) at 20% and Petronas at 15% since July 2023.

The participating interest sale agreement from Shell to Pertamina and Petronas was signed on 25 July 2023, and approval from the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources for the PI transfer was obtained on 4 October 2023.

The Abadi Field in the Masela Block is an offshore deepwater gas field with Indonesia’s largest gas reserves, located about 160 kilometres off the coast of Yamdena Island in the Arafura Sea with a sea depth of 400-800 metres. The potential gas from the Abadi Field is estimated at 6.97 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas.

After the production sharing contract was signed in 1998, Inpex finally discovered the jumbo gas reserves in the Masela Block.