JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to inaugurate the groundbreaking of the national strategic project (PSN) for the development of the Masela Block gas field in Maluku on Thursday, July 16. The oil and gas project, which has an investment value of around US$20 billion, is one of the government's mainstays to strengthen national energy resilience.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed the inauguration agenda after attending a meeting at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday, July 15.
"Inshaallah tomorrow the President will inaugurate the groundbreaking of the Masela Block," said Bahlil.
However, Bahlil has not confirmed whether President Prabowo will attend the event directly at the project site or inaugurate it through a virtual connection.
"Later it will be decided by the President through Mr. Mensesneg or Mr. Seskab," he said.
The Masela block is one of the largest reserves of natural gas in Indonesia. After experiencing delays for years, the government is now accelerating the realization of the project so that it can immediately enter the construction phase.
According to Bahlil, a number of important stages have shown positive developments, including the completion of the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) process as preparation for the construction of production facilities.
The government targets the project operated by Inpex Corporation together with its partners to begin entering the construction phase in 2027. The gas production is targeted to start in the period 2029 to 2030 to support national energy needs.
The acceleration of the Masela Block project is a follow-up to President Prabowo's instructions during his state visit to Japan in March 2026. During the visit, the President asked for an acceleration of investment in the energy transition sector, including the completion of the Masela Block strategic project.
Following up on the direction, Bahlil invited Inpex Corporation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Takayuki Ueda to discuss accelerating the development of the Masela permanent gas project.
During the meeting, Takayuki Ueda conveyed Inpex's commitment to accelerate the completion of the development of the project, which is estimated to be worth US$20 billion. The government hopes that this project will be one of the mainstays of increasing national gas production while strengthening Indonesia's energy resilience in the long term.
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