Inpex to hold Masela block Pre-FEED tender this week

By Godang Sitompul

Inpex Corp, operator of the Masela block in Maluku Province, plans to hold tender this week to select contractor to carry out the required Pre-Front Engineering End Design (Pre-FEED) study of the Abadi gas field development project in the block.

This was revealed by a senior official of Inpex, who requested for anonymity, to Petromindo.com on Monday following a meeting with Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan. No further details were provided.

Jonan had repeatedly urged Inpex to quickly start the Pre-FEED to get the Masela project rolling as it has long been planned and that discussions between the government and the company have been quite lengthy.

Inpex, as requested by the government, plans develop an onshore LNG plant with capacity of 9.5 million tons per annum plus pipeline gas of 150 mmscfd.

Inpex holds a 65 percent interest in the block, while partner Shell holds the remaining 35 percent. Inpex initially proposed a floating LNG plant to process gas from the Abadi field in the block, but the government decided to opt for the onshore plant.

The ministry said in a recent statement that the Pre-FEED is an important stage toward the formulation of a revised plan of development (POD) of the Abadi gas field development project following a change in the production facility from offshore to onshore.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak