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Jokowi invites Elon Musk to invest in lithium battery manufacturing
Musk said he intended to focus on Starlink's services in Indonesia first when asked by reporters on his other investment plans in the country.
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk (R) gestures upon arriving to inaugurate satellite unit Starlink at a community health center (Puskesmas) in Denpasar, Bali on May 19, 2024. (AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is said to have invited billionaire Elon Musk to invest in lithium-based battery manufacturing in Indonesia, as the country keeps its sights on expanding its local electric vehicle (EV) industry.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said on Tuesday that President Jokowi made his suggestion on the sidelines of the 10th World Water Forum in Bali.
“The President suggested the investment in lithium-based batteries and their derivatives, including anodes, cathodes and so on. I think that’s a good idea,” Luhut said in a press conference on Tuesday, as quoted by Kumparan.
Luhut said he projected the number of EVs in the US to rise 11-fold until 2030, but this would not happen without Indonesian nickel, as the country has one of the world’s largest reserves of the commodity.
Musk arrived in Indonesia to inaugurate the launch of Starlink, a wholly owned subsidiary of his aerospace firm SpaceX, in Bali on Sunday.
Read also: Jokowi wants Elon Musk to invest more in Indonesia
After the launch, President Jokowi met with Musk on Monday inviting the billionaire to expand his presence in Indonesia by bringing his other companies, namely SpaceX, EV maker Tesla, brain chip start-up Neuralink and tunnel construction firm Boring.
