JAKARTA, THE NUSANTARA POST- President Joko Widodo Holds Limited Meeting with Cabinet Ministers to Discuss Investment Development in Indonesia and Integrated Electric Battery Industry Development
President Joko Widodo held a limited meeting with cabinet ministers at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, to discuss investment developments in Indonesia and plans for the development of the integrated electric battery industry.
In his statement following the meeting, Investment Minister/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Bahlil Lahadalia, explained the investment plan from the United Kingdom to build an electric battery ecosystem in Indonesia.
“Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), the directive (from the President) is for us to accelerate because this investment will be built in a green energy industrial zone, utilizing wind energy in Bantaeng, Sulawesi,” explained Bahlil.
The President requested that the development of the ecosystem be expedited, particularly in the administrative processes. However, the President reminded that the acceleration should still comply with the applicable laws and regulations.
“This country has too many studies to the point where we forget our fundamental principles. So, the President’s directive is clear, it needs to be expedited, and by September, everything should be completed,” he continued.
Furthermore, Bahlil stated that the investment involving a consortium from the United Kingdom in building the electric battery ecosystem is in collaboration with several international companies and the national company, PT Aneka Tambang (Antam). According to Bahlil, the investment plan covers everything from mining to battery cells.
“The investment is approximately around 9 billion USD. If possible, we should accelerate it. This investment covers the development of the mobile battery ecosystem from mining to battery cells,” he said.
Bahlil also expressed hope that this investment would eventually produce battery cells up to 20 gigawatt hours (GWh) in the initial production phase. For subsequent phases, Bahlil mentioned that the production process can be further increased based on domestic and international market demands.
“In the future, it will be increased based on domestic demand as well as for exports,” said Bahlil (Wan)
