ASIATODAY.ID, KENDAL – The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Lithium Battery Anode Material Factory owned by PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material which is located in the Kendal Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Kendal Regency, Central Java Province, on Wednesday, 7 August 2024.
President Jokowi appreciated the inauguration of the factory as an important step in creating an electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia.
“I really appreciate the construction of this factory so that the big plan to build an integrated and strong electric car ecosystem will truly be realized one by one,” said President Jokowi.
Jokowi said that the plan to develop an electric vehicle ecosystem that had been decided several years ago was now starting to show results.
President Jokowi reminded that although there were initial challenges such as a ban on nickel exports which triggered pros and cons as well as a lawsuit from the European Union, this decision had produced significant results.
“Now the value of our nickel exports is US$34 billion,” he said.
President Jokowi also highlighted the development of the nickel and bauxite smelter industry in several regions in Indonesia, starting from nickel smelters and their derivatives in Morowali and Weda Bay, smelters from PT Freeport and PT Amman in Sumbawa and Gresik, to bauxite smelters in Mempawah Regency, West Kalimantan.
“So that if everything is done once again the ecosystem will be built, we will be able to enter the global supply chain which will provide great added value both in terms of labor recruitment and our economic growth,” said Jokowi.
On this occasion, President Jokowi also praised the speed of construction of the factory which only took 10 months since the signing in Beijing. The factory, which was built with an investment of US$777 million, is also expected to be able to produce 80 thousand tons of anode material per year in the next stage, which is equivalent to 1.5 million electric cars.
“It’s very large, especially if you add 80 thousand tons of production in this industry, meaning there will be 3 million electric cars per year, a very large number so we will become the largest supplier of both EV batteries and electric vehicles,” said Jokowi.
President Jokowi also emphasized the government’s commitment to continuing to build a strong and integrated electric vehicle ecosystem, and utilizing local resources such as nickel, cobalt and manganese. Through this step, Indonesia is expected to strengthen its position in the global lithium battery and electric vehicle market. (ATN)
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