Visit IWIP, Minister Of Industry Agus Gumiwang Ensures Precursor Exports In Early 2025

Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. (Photo: Doc. PT Industri Weda Bay Project)

JAKARTA - Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita visited the Weda Bay Project Industrial Estate located in Central Halmahera, North Maluku, on Thursday, November 28. During his visit, the Minister of Industry gave high appreciation to PT Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) for the progress achieved, especially regarding the nickel precursor export plan for the electric vehicle battery industry which was scheduled for early 2025.

"I really appreciate and thank all ranks of PT Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) for their dedication in making Weda Bay Industrial Estate the first integrated industrial area in Indonesia to support mineral processing and production of electric vehicle battery components," said Minister Agus in his visit to PT IWIP, Central Halmahera.

Minister Agus said support for the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem is a strategic step in line with the government's efforts to achieve sustainable development goals and control greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

"The government is committed to the policy of reducing GRK emissions at the international level by setting a target to reduce GRK emissions at the Enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) by 31.89 percent with its own efforts or 43.20 percent with international support in 2030 until finally reaching Net Zero Emissions (NZE) in 2060 or earlier. One of the main programs is the development of the Battery-Based Electric Motor Vehicle or KBLBB", he explained.

For this reason, Minister Agus emphasized that the government continues to fully support the acceleration of the development of the Battery-Based Electric Motor Vehicle (KBLBB) ecosystem, one of which is driven through projects such as Weda Bay.

"The presence of this project is expected to strengthen the electric vehicle ecosystem and have a positive impact on the Indonesian economy, especially in North Maluku and Central Halmahera," he added.

It is known, PT IWIP, through its subsidiary PT Huaneng New Material, plans to export 50,000 tons per year Precursor Nickel Cobalt Manganese Hydroxide (NCM) to the North American and European markets. This precursor is an important raw material in the production of electric vehicle batteries.

In addition, Weda Bay Project will also continue to develop with plans to produce Electric Vehicle Battery and Energy Storage System (Energy Storage System) which will be managed by PT REPT Battero Energy Co. Ltd. This battery production capacity will start at 8 GWh in March 2026 and expand to 20 GWh by 2027, which will open up job opportunities for around 2,800 workers.

The project will also produce Off Road Pure Electric Mining Dump Truck with battery capacity ranging from 282 kWh to 375 kWh, with the first truck assembly scheduled for December 2025. Furthermore, the region will also produce aluminum ingots with a capacity of 1 million tons per year, through PT Progress Alumunium Industry, with an investment value of around USD655 million.

On the same occasion, the President Director of PT IWIP Xiang Binghe expressed his gratitude and gratitude for the support provided by the government, including the Ministry of Industry.

According to him, the significant development of IWIP, which now has more than 80,000 employees, cannot be separated from the solid cooperation between the company and the government. IWIP hopes to continue this collaboration to bring benefits to the people of Indonesia, especially in the North Maluku region.

"The success of IWIP to reach more than 80,000 employees cannot be separated from the extraordinary support from the government, including the Ministry of Industry. We hope that this good support and cooperation will continue to be established, so that this project can grow rapidly and provide great benefits for the people of Indonesia in general, and especially for the people of North Maluku and Central Halmahera," he concluded.