Eleven new ventures expand Indonesia’s battery, aluminium, vehicle and solar manufacturing capacity.
President Prabowo Subianto launched Indonesia’s first electric-vehicle (EV) battery exports and 11 industrial ventures worth US$10.2 billion (approximately Rp180 trillion) at the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) in Central Halmahera, North Maluku, on Thursday, 8 October 2026. The initiative comprises four facilities entering commercial operations and seven new developments beginning construction, with the aim of expanding domestic mineral processing and establishing an integrated battery supply chain. The initiative is expected to generate more than 10,000 jobs.
“Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, today I, President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, launch the first electric-vehicle battery exports and four industrial projects entering commercial operations,” President Prabowo said during the ceremony.
Participants included Chair of Indonesia’s National Economic Council Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, and Minister of Investment and Downstreaming Rosan Roeslani, who also heads the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) and serves as chief executive of Danantara Indonesia.
The four facilities entering commercial operations were PT Blue Sparking Energy, PT REPT Battero Energy Indonesia, PT Pioneer Aluminium Industries and PT XCMG Indonesia Manufacturing. The seven construction sites were PT Guang Ching Nickel Cobalt, PT Inno Prima Material, PT Tinci Materials Indonesia, PT Weda Bay Aluminium, PT Bintang Karya Aluminium, PT Flatsolar Energy Indonesia and PT Foton Guangqing Motor Indonesia.
Their activities span nickel-based battery materials, battery separators and electrolytes, aluminium production, electric heavy vehicles and photovoltaic glass for solar panels. Minister Roeslani said the operational facilities represented US$3.4 billion in capital, while the construction phase accounted for US$6.8 billion.
Indonesia’s investment realisation reached Rp1,010.6 trillion (US$56.1 billion) in the first half of 2026, rising 7.2% year-on-year and generating more than 1.4 million jobs. Downstream industries accounted for 35% of total investment, up from 25% two years earlier, while more than 75% of realised capital was directed outside Java.
Since 2018, IWIP has attracted US$20 billion, with another US$7 billion planned. The industrial estate hosts 52 tenants, including Glencore and Trafigura, and supports 117,000 jobs. Exports reached US$11 billion, while combined shipments from IWIP and Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park totalled US$28 billion, equivalent to approximately 10% of national exports.
Minister Roeslani said an integrated EV battery ecosystem, including recycling, would support Indonesia’s participation in global supply chains. He added that China’s Tsingshan Holding Group had discussed potential involvement in Danantara’s proposed 100-gigawatt solar-panel development programme.
Source: ANTARA News
