Minister Basuki Reveals Opportunities for Japan to Invest in IKN Projects: They Will Study

Minister of PUPR Basuki Hadimuljono (right). (Photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) said there was an opportunity for Japan's interest to invest in the development of the National Capital City (IKN) of the archipelago.

This is because when Minister Basuki met with the Japanese delegation at the 43rd ASEAN Summit on Wednesday, September 6, the Special Adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister Mori Masafumi asked about investment opportunities that could be worked on in IKN.

"I conveyed (to Japan), first the train. In the afternoon I conveyed this to the Minister of Transportation (Budi Karya Sumadi), this morning (Japan) met with the Minister of Transportation," he said when met at the DPR RI Building, Jakarta, quoted Friday, September 8.

"That (potential investment value) is in transportation (Kemenhub). We have already made the route (the route to IKN) with the toll road, all that's left is the train. They (Japan) will study it," added Basuki.

Basuki said that another opportunity for infrastructure cooperation at IKN was in the construction of a train from Balikpapan to IKN.

Apart from that, Basuki said, IKN also needs drinking water intake.

This is because the Sepaku Semoi Dam, which is the main water source in IKN, is estimated to only be sufficient until 2030, with a capacity of up to 2,000 liters per second.

"After 2030, we need one more additional water. So, we have planned to build the Batu Lepek Dam, that was what I offered yesterday to Japan," he concluded.

To date, 79 development work packages have been implemented at IKN, divided into two stages.

As for the progress of the first phase of construction which started in 2020 as many as 40 packages and currently, the progress is 43.3 percent, while for the second stage, as many as 39 packages have only started construction since March 2023.