President Prabowo inaugurates groundbreaking of Masela Abadi LNG project online

President Prabowo Subianto officially broke ground on the Abadi Masela LNG National Strategic Project via a virtual ceremony from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, marking the start of construction on one of Indonesia’s largest energy projects. ‘In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, on this Thursday, 16 July 2026, by the grace of God Almighty, I, Prabowo Subianto, President of the Republic of Indonesia, hereby declare the Groundbreaking of the Abadi Masela Liquefied Natural Gas National Strategic Project officially commenced,’ President Prabowo said at the end of his inauguration speech. The President was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi, Foreign Minister Sugiono, and Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot Tanjung during the video-linked ceremony. At the project site in the Tanimbar Islands Regency, Maluku, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia was present alongside Minister of National Development Planning Rachmat Pambudy, Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Nusron Wahid, Presidential Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman, INPEX CEO Takayuki Ueda, Pertamina CEO Simon Aloysius Mantiri, and Maluku Governor Hendrik Lewerissa. The ceremony began with the singing of the national anthem and a prayer led by the Chairman of the Tanimbar Islands Regency MUI. This was followed by a project progress report from INPEX CEO Takayuki Ueda, the operator of the Masela Block, and a report from Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia. In his speech before inaugurating the groundbreaking, President Prabowo apologised for not being able to attend in person. ‘I apologise, I originally wanted to be present directly, but due to various events at the centre that I could not leave, I am forced to attend via this video conference, without any lessening of my respect,’ the President said. The Abadi Masela LNG project is being developed by INPEX Masela Ltd. in partnership with Pertamina and Petronas, with an investment value of approximately US$20.9 billion. The facility is designed to have a production capacity of 9.5 million tonnes of LNG per year, supply 150 million standard cubic feet per day of domestic pipeline gas, and produce around 35,000 barrels of condensate per day. The government stated that the project, which has been in development for nearly three decades since the contract was signed in 1998, is now entering the construction phase. As of early July 2026, Front End Engineering Design progress had reached 79.56 percent, exceeding the target, while the completion of various strategic permits and facility designs continues ahead of the Final Investment Decision expected by the end of 2026. The government also projects the Abadi Masela LNG plant to become one of the largest energy industry hubs in eastern Indonesia. The project is expected to encourage the growth of supporting industries, expand business opportunities for MSMEs, and create jobs by prioritising local workers from Maluku and the Tanimbar Islands Regency. In addition to strengthening national energy security, the Abadi Masela LNG project is the first in Indonesia to integrate Carbon Capture and Storage technology from the development stage as part of efforts to support the national energy transition.