Indonesian president inaugurates lithium battery node factory with Chinese investment in Central Java province-Xinhua

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (C) inspects the PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) plant at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java Province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the first lithium-ion battery anode plant, PT BTR, with investment from China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Muchlis Jr/Presidential Press Office/Disclosure via Xinhua)

Semarang, Indonesia, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode plant, PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR), with investment from China's BTR New Material Group (BTR).

PT BTR, located in Kendal Industrial Park in Indonesia, Central Java Province, currently has an annual production capacity of 80,000 tons of anode material, one of the battery materials for electric vehicles (EVs).

The plant's inauguration marked the completion of the first phase of the BTR project in Indonesia, with an investment of US$478 million. The second phase, expected to begin in late 2024, will involve an additional investment of US$299 million, doubling the plant's production capacity to 160,000 tonnes.

“I am very happy that PT BTR can produce 80,000 tons of anode materials per year. If it is transformed into cars, it will enable the production of 1.5 million electric cars. With the additional 80,000 tons from the second phase, this capacity will increase to 3 million electric cars per year,” Widodo said at the inauguration ceremony.

“Our grand project of establishing an integrated and robust electric vehicle ecosystem is being realized step by step,” he noted.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia, noted that with an annual capacity of 160,000 tons in the near future, Indonesia will become the world's second largest producer of anode materials. The development will contribute to building a complete lithium battery ecosystem in Indonesia.

According to BTR Chairman He Xueqin, the plant has filled a gap in the lithium-ion battery anode field in Indonesia and the wider Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

The combined investment in the first and second phases of the project will help create 7,800 jobs, of which more than 94% of the positions will be filled by local residents, he added.

Photo shows an exterior view of PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) in Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java Province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode plant, PT BTR, with investment from China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R, front) inspects the PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) plant at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode plant, PT BTR, with investment from China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Muchlis Jr/Presidential Press Office/Disclosure via Xinhua)

A drone photo shows an exterior view of the PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java Province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode plant, PT BTR, with investment from China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java Province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesian President Joko Widodo opened the country's first lithium, ion battery anode plant, PT BTR, on Wednesday with investment from China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

A drone photo shows an exterior view of the PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java Province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode plant, PT BTR, with investment from China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Xinhua/Xu Qin)