The Government Does Not Give Special Treatment To Anyone Investing In The Island Of Rempang

Minister of Investment/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Investment Minister/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia said the government did not provide special treatment to anyone who would invest in Rempang, Riau Islands.

"There should be no perception as if for Rempang's investment, the treatment is special to others. The Ministry of Investment is not like that. Why? Because my representatives, my team in China, have held meetings for months, many times, and my team gave recommendations to check this company," Bahlil said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, October 2.

According to Bahlil, investment development in Rempang is an effort by the government to promote downstreaming.

The government considers it necessary to expand the downstream coverage after successful nickel through downstreaming of silica sand or silica sand in Batam.

Sand quartz or silica sand is a raw material for glass and solar panels which are currently one of the choices of renewable energy sources.

Bahlil also assessed that the Chinese investor, namely the Xinyi Group, is a strategic partner to support the development of downstream quartz sand, so that after visiting his factory in China, Bahlil also asked them to invest in the country.

"Once again I clear it, we have never discriminated between companies that will invest," he said.

Bahlil added that Rempang Eco City is included in the list of National Strategic Projects for industrial, tourism, and other needs as regulated in the Regulation of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Number 7 of 2023 which was ratified on August 28, 2023.

According to him, the determination of PSN was given after a certain project was being developed.

He gave an example of the fertilizer industry development project in Fakfak, West Papua, which can only be embedded after there are its main investors, namely PT Pupuk Kaltim.

"So, the goods are there first, then we will push the planning," he said.

Bahlil added that the determination of PSN status was given due to the large number of projects in the industrial area.

There are at least 10 projects that will be worked on as agreed in the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on July 28, 2023, between the Ministry of Investment/BKPM and Xinyi International Investments Limited, companies that will invest in Rempang, Riau Islands.

The 10 projects are the development of an integrated industrial area; silica sand processing plant; ash soda industry; solar glass panel industry; glass float industry; industrial graded industrial silicon; polylicon industry; crystal processing industry; cell industry and solar module; as well as supporting industry.

"Why do we push it to PSN, because there are 8-9 items of goods (projects) that we will do there. That is indeed in the future, we want to make Indonesia a glass factory, as well as a solar panel industry center in order to encourage the new renewable energy industry," said Bahlil.