The groundbreaking ceremony for the integrated electric vehicle battery ecosystem, led by the ANTAM–IBC–CBL consortium, was inaugurated by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at Artha Industrial Hills in Karawang, West Java on Sunday.
"We believe this project can absorb 8,000 direct and 35,000 indirect workers, and significantly boost local economic growth," Wijaya said in a written statement from Jakarta on Sunday.
He emphasized that the project's launch demonstrates the president’s commitment to supporting industrial development from upstream to downstream, with six sub-projects underway in East Halmahera and Karawang.
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In his remarks, President Subianto stated that a nation’s development hinges on its ability to process natural resources into high-value products, thereby improving national prosperity and welfare.
The project, part of Indonesia’s National Strategic Projects (PSN), carries an investment value of 5.9 billion US dollars and spans 3,023 hectares.
It is designed to be environmentally friendly, utilizing multiple energy sources including a 2x150 MW steam power plant, an 80 MW gas power plant, a 30 MW waste heat plant, and 172 MWp of solar power, including 24 MWp solar power at the Karawang factory.
The battery factory in Karawang, occupying 43 hectares, is operated by PT Contemporary Amperex Technology Indonesia Battery (CATIB), a joint venture between IBC and CBL, a subsidiary of global battery giant CATL.
The facility is expected to reach an initial capacity of 6.9 GWh in the first phase, increasing to 15 GWh in the second phase. Commercial operations are scheduled to begin in late 2026.
Meanwhile, in East Halmahera, ANTAM and Hong Kong CBL Limited (HK CBL) have formed PT Feni Haltim (FHT) to develop a new energy industrial zone, including a nickel mining project, a pyrometallurgical smelter with a capacity of 88,000 tons of refined nickel alloy per year by 2027.
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Translator: Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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