Masela land data collection advances as Maluku backs project acceleration

The Maluku provincial government has reaffirmed its support for accelerating development of the Abadi gas field in the Masela Block, while emphasizing that land acquisition and social impact mitigation processes must comply with prevailing regulations.

The commitment was conveyed by Maluku Governor Hendrik Lewerissa during a coordination meeting on Wednesday involving the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), upstream oil and gas regulator SKK Migas, and regional governments to discuss preparations for the project's groundbreaking and efforts to bring the field onstream more quickly.

"We in Maluku strongly support the development of this project. It is a very important project, and there is no alternative—it must move forward immediately because the benefits for the region and the community are substantial," Lewerissa said.

The governor said project acceleration should be carried out with legal certainty, noting that the provincial government is following regulations governing the management of social impacts related to land acquisition for national strategic projects.

He expressed hope that all processes would be implemented in accordance with applicable regulations to avoid legal disputes that could delay compensation payments or project implementation.

At the meeting, Maluku Provincial Secretary Sadali Ie, who also chairs the Integrated Team for Social Impact Mitigation, reported progress in the ongoing identification of affected communities and assets in the project area.

As of June 9, the team had identified 268 affected individuals, of whom 187 had been fully recorded while data collection for the remaining 81 was still underway.

The government has also surveyed about 95.84 hectares of plantation land, with data collection in priority areas expected to be completed by June 10.

"To date, the data collection process continues to progress. Field teams are working to ensure that all affected individuals and assets are comprehensively recorded as the basis for determining compensation recipients," Sadali said.

The data collection covers land, buildings, plantations and community-owned crops. Assessment of timber-producing plants is still ongoing because it requires technical measurements, including the diameter and height of individual trees, for valuation purposes.

According to Sadali, additional personnel have been deployed to accelerate the process while maintaining accuracy.

He said the provincial government is seeking to balance project acceleration with the protection of community rights, stressing that all stages of the compensation process—from data collection and publication of results to valuation, determination and payment—must be conducted transparently and in accordance with regulations.

"We want to ensure that communities receive their rights fairly while keeping project development on schedule," he said.

The Abadi project in the Masela Working Area, operated by INPEX Corporation, is one of Indonesia's National Strategic Projects and is expected to become one of the country's largest future gas developments.

The project is designed to produce 9.5 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG), 150 million standard cubic feet per day of pipeline gas and 35,000 barrels per day of condensate. Around 40% of LNG production is earmarked for the domestic market, with the remainder to be exported.

INPEX Masela Ltd holds a 65% participating interest in the project, while PT Pertamina Hulu Energi Masela owns 20% and PETRONAS Masela Sdn. Bhd. holds the remaining 15%.

SKK Migas has said front-end engineering design (FEED) work is nearing completion, alongside procurement and land acquisition activities ahead of the construction phase. Early works for the onshore LNG facility have also been prepared, including a Rp1 trillion (US$57.8 million) contract for road construction and site preparation.

The government is targeting first production from the project in 2030.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak