Jakarta, June 25, 2025 – The Europe Today: President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto is set to inaugurate the groundbreaking ceremony of an integrated electric vehicle (EV) battery project in East Halmahera, North Maluku, on June 29, marking a significant milestone in the country’s push for downstream industrialization and green technology development.
The project, backed by substantial investment from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), will encompass a fully integrated facility comprising mining operations, a smelter, high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) processing, and the production of precursors and cathodes — essential components of EV batteries.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, speaking on Tuesday, described the initiative as groundbreaking, stating, “This will be the first project of its kind and scale in the world.” He revealed that the total investment is estimated to be around US$6 billion.
With this end-to-end integrated system, Minister Lahadalia expressed confidence that Indonesia will be able to significantly reduce EV battery production costs, enhancing the country’s competitiveness in the global electric vehicle supply chain.
This strategic project is part of a broader national plan comprising 18 downstream industrial initiatives, collectively valued at nearly US$45 billion. These initiatives span various sectors, including nickel, bauxite, oil refining, energy storage, coal gasification (dimethyl ether/DME), as well as fisheries, agriculture, and forestry.
The inauguration underscores Indonesia’s commitment to industrial transformation and value-added resource utilization, aiming to position the nation as a major hub in the global clean energy and electric vehicle ecosystem.
