Prabowo Inaugurates Construction of Abadi Masela Project in Maluku

President Prabowo Subianto has officiated the groundbreaking of the Abadi Masela liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the Tanimbar Islands, Maluku, signalling the start of construction on the largest energy investment in Indonesia’s history. “By saying bismillahirrahmanirrahim, on this afternoon, Thursday, 16 July 2026, by the grace of God Almighty, I, Prabowo Subianto, President of the Republic of Indonesia, declare the groundbreaking of the Abadi Masela national strategic LNG project officially commenced,” Prabowo stated via video conference, as seen on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel. Prabowo highlighted the long journey behind the project’s development, calling it extremely important. “Nation-building is a result of hard work. Nation-building is a very long journey, requiring all elements and all components,” he said. “Thus, the Abadi Masela National Strategic Project is truly a very important project. We have waited for this project for almost three decades, three decades,” he continued. Prabowo urged that the construction must not face obstacles and expressed hope that the process would be completed as quickly as possible. The mega-project in the oil and gas sector is located approximately 170-180 kilometres southwest of the Tanimbar Islands Regency. It is being developed under a cost recovery production sharing contract (PSC) scheme by INPEX Masela Ltd as the operator with a majority stake of 65 percent, in strategic partnership with PT Pertamina (Persero) holding 20 percent and Petronas holding 15 percent. The total investment value of the project reaches USD 20.9 billion. The project is designed to produce 9.5 million tonnes of LNG per annum, channel 150 million standard cubic feet per day of domestic pipeline gas, and yield approximately 35,000 barrels of condensate per day to support national energy needs. After a development process spanning nearly three decades since the contract was signed in 1998, the project has finally entered the construction phase. As of early July 2026, the front end engineering design (FEED) progress had reached 79.56 percent, exceeding the planned target, while various strategic permits and the completion of main facility designs are proceeding on schedule towards the final investment decision (FID) expected by the end of 2026. Prabowo apologised for not being able to attend in person due to unavoidable commitments and said he owed a debt to the people of Maluku, promising to visit at a later date.