Local Residents Prioritised for Employment in Abadi Masela Project
The government is prioritising local residents for employment in the Abadi Masela liquefied natural gas (LNG) national strategic project (PSN) in the Tanimbar Islands Regency, Maluku. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed that the government is providing adequate education to local residents to prepare them for work in the oil and gas sector. “Some of the local children have already been sent to school at the Akamigas Polytechnic in Cepu. They will all be absorbed to work on the Masela Block project,” Bahlil said during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Abadi Masela LNG project in Maluku on Thursday, 16 July 2026.
The Golkar Party Chairman pledged that the recruitment of professional workers for the Masela Block would prioritise local residents. He stated that if there is still a need for additional labour, the government will open recruitment opportunities for workers from other regions or even from abroad. “We will take professional jobs from tier one and tier two first. Do not let the local people think that investment is coming in but they are not being prioritised,” he said.
During the construction phase, Bahlil noted that the Masela Block development will require approximately 12,000 direct workers. Beyond direct employment, he said the Abadi Masela project is expected to create up to three times that number of jobs, reaching 36,000 workers. Furthermore, the project is projected to absorb up to 1,000 workers during its operational phase. Bahlil added that local entrepreneurs would also be prioritised to support the project’s development, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives.
The Abadi Masela LNG project is being developed by INPEX Masela Ltd. in partnership with Pertamina and Petronas, with a total investment value of approximately US$20.9 billion. The project is designed to produce 9.5 million tonnes of LNG per year, alongside 150 million standard cubic feet per day of pipeline gas and approximately 35,000 barrels of condensate per day to support national energy needs. The Masela Block is set to become the first LNG project in Indonesia to integrate carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology from the development stage. As of early July 2026, the front-end engineering design (FEED) progress has reached 79.56 percent, exceeding the planned target, while strategic permitting and facility design finalisation continue on schedule towards a final investment decision (FID) by the end of 2026.
President Prabowo officially initiated the construction of the LNG national strategic project, which has been anticipated for nearly 28 years. “This project has been awaited for almost three decades. Alhamdulillah, today we begin its construction. The development must not be hampered and must be completed as soon as possible,” Prabowo stated during a virtual address from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.