JAKARTA, July 4 (Xinhua) — Indonesia, home to the world’s largest nickel reserves, on Wednesday inaugurated Southeast Asia’s first electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Karawang, West Java province.
Owned by HLI Green Power, the plant is a joint venture between Indonesia Battery Corporation and South Korean automaker Hyundai, alongside battery maker LG Energy Solution.
“This is the first and largest electric vehicle battery cell factory in Southeast Asia. I am confident that we can win against other countries with this,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said at the ceremony.
With abundant reserves of nickel, bauxite and copper, coupled with integrated smelting and precursor industries, Indonesia aims to dominate the electric vehicle market.
The initial investment of US$1 billion will produce 10 GWh of battery cells, enough to power 150,000 electric vehicles, with plans to expand to 20 GWh in the future.
At the same ceremony, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said Indonesia is ready to become a key player in the global electric vehicle supply chain with an integrated ecosystem involving international players.
Luhut added that the effort aims to reduce carbon emissions while improving air quality and people’s quality of life.■
