The factory which Mr. President inaugurated today has a capacity of 80 thousand tons (of anodes per year), which is sufficient to produce 1.5 million electric cars.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has said that the lithium battery anode factory in Kendal, Central Java, can supply anodes for the production of 1.5 million electric cars annually.

"The factory which Mr. President inaugurated today has a capacity of 80 thousand tons (of anodes per year), which is sufficient to produce 1.5 million electric cars," he informed during the factory's inauguration, which was followed online on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel on Wednesday.

According to the minister, the factory will be the biggest one in Indonesia, and could therefore support electric vehicle (EV) production in the country.

He underlined that Indonesia's success in building downstreaming and developing its automotive and battery ecosystems cannot be separated from the directive of President Joko Widodo and the government's consistency in stopping nickel ore exports.

He said that with the opening of the battery anode factory, the Indonesian lithium battery industry ecosystem will become more complete.

"In accordance with the task that Mr. President gave us, (namely to) not only develop the lithium batteries but also those made from nickel cathodes, as well as LFP (lithium ferro-phosphate) cathodes, and EV factories are currently being built in Indonesia," he added.

On Wednesday, President Joko Widodo inaugurated the lithium battery anode factory located within a special economic zone in Kendal, which is expected to bolster Indonesia's EV ecosystem.

The President expressed appreciation over the first phase of the factory's development being completed within just 10 months of the signing of a cooperation agreement in Beijing, China, in October 2023.

He said that Indonesia is still importing natural graphite from Africa to produce anodes. However, the country is relying on a refinery managed by its own oil and gas company, Pertamina, in Riau to supply artificial graphite.

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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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