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5 min ago 2 min read
Inpex Masela has broken ground on its long-delayed Abadi liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the Masela Block of Indonesia’s Maluku province, backed by $21bn in investments, according to Indonesian state-owned news agency Antara.
The onshore LNG plant is expected to produce 9.5 million tonnes of LNG annually, with approximately 150 million cubic feet of natural gas per day sourced from the Abadi gas field via a 180km subsea pipeline.
The Abadi gas field project is expected to start commercial production between 2029 and 2030, says Antara.
Inpex has not disclosed the timeline for LNG production start-up.
In December 2023, the Indonesian government authorities the revised development plan for the Abadi LNG project to incorporate a carbon capture and storage (CCS) component.
According to Antara, this makes Abadi LNG one of the first LNG projects with a cost-recovery scheme for CCS operating alongside LNG production globally.
Inpex Masela, a subsidiary of Japanese energy development firm Inpex, commenced front-end engineering and design (FEED) of the Abadi LNG project in August 2025.
The company has faced several setbacks since submitting a development plan to the Indonesian government in 2008.
Notably, in July 2023, multinational energy firm Shell, which at the time held a 35% stake in Abadi LNG, withdrew from the project.
Inpex Masela retained its 65% controlling share in the project, while Indonesia’s state-owned energy arm Pertamina and Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas acquired 20% and 15% stakes, respectively.
