JakartaGlobe-Sept 15, 2021
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has broken the construction ground of the first electric vehicle battery factory in Southeast Asia, marking an important milestone in the country’s drive to establish itself as a key global battery supplier. HKML Indonesia, controlled by a consortium of South Korea’s companies and Industri Baterai Indonesia, a subsidiary of a state-controlled miner, will build and operate the $1.1-billion factory located in Karawang New Industrial City, West Java. The factory construction the government’s objective to establish a downstream industry for the country’s mining resources, especially nickel, Jokowi said. The era of exporting raw commodities was over, and Indonesia must strive to shift from the commodity-based economic structure to one with a strong downstream industry based on the development of technological innovation, he said. The first phase of development within the Karawang factory sees a battery production capacity of up to 10-gigawatt hour (GWh) per year. Industry Battery Indonesia is a consortium of four prominent state-run mining and energy companies — Indonesia Asahan Aluminum (MIND ID), gold and nickel miner Aneka Tambang (Antam), energy company Pertamina, and utility firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN).
Read more at: https://jakartaglobe.id/business/indonesia-starts-construction-of-southeast-asias-first-electric-vehicle-battery-factory
