Inpex Corporation is targeting key Asian markets, including Japan, Taiwan, China, and South Korea, for liquified natural gas (LNG) exports from its Abadi Masela project in eastern Indonesia.

Deputy Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Yuliot Tanjung said domestic LNG demand remains relatively limited, mainly for fertilizer, industrial use, and power plants operated by state power utility PT PLN.

“Domestic offtakers are relatively constrained, so we will also direct a portion of the production toward export markets,” Yuliot said during the launch of the Abadi LNG project’s front-end engineering design (FEED) on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

Inpex President and CEO Takayuki Ueda reaffirmed that Indonesia would remain the top priority market, given its growing energy needs. “We understand there are many needs in Indonesia due to strong economic growth. This is our first priority customer,” Ueda said.

As a Japanese company, Inpex also highlighted Japan as the second priority for LNG sales. “Japan requires a stable energy supply. From this perspective, many Japanese buyers are also very interested in considering the Abadi project,” Ueda cited.

Beyond Indonesia and Japan, Inpex is eyeing China, South Korea, and Taiwan economies with fast-growing energy demand. Ueda noted that interest has also emerged from neighboring countries, including Thailand and Malaysia.

The latter is of particular interest as Petronas, Malaysia’s state oil and gas company, is Inpex’s partner in the Masela block alongside PT Pertamina.

“There are already a number of non-binding gas sales agreements through MoAs and HoAs. We will convert these into binding long-term contracts during the FEED process. That is another challenge, but we are optimistic since demand is clearly present,” Ueda said.

He further indicated that prospective demand could exceed the project’s LNG capacity, underscoring the strategic importance of Abadi Masela in supplying Asia’s future energy needs.