JAKARTA, Oct 8 — Indonesia launched its first electric vehicle (EV) battery exports and 11 downstream industrial projects worth US$10.2 billion (RM41.7 billion) at the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) in Central Halmahera, North Maluku, on Thursday.

President Prabowo Subianto said the projects comprised four industrial facilities entering commercial operation and seven new projects beginning construction, with the inaugural battery exports marking Indonesia’s progress towards supplying overseas markets with locally manufactured EV batteries.

“The first export of electric vehicle batteries today is an important step. This is concrete proof that our downstream industrialisation strategy is correct, and we will continue it as best as possible,” he said at the launch ceremony, streamed live.

The President also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to respecting and protecting investments from all countries, while urging companies operating in the industrial park to safeguard the environment, maintain air and water quality, and manage waste properly.

Speaking at the same ceremony, Investment and Downstreaming Minister Rosan Roeslani said the projects involved US$3.4 billion in investment for facilities entering commercial operation and US$6.8 billion for new developments, with more than 10,000 jobs expected to be created.

He said the projects covered nickel-based battery materials, EV battery production, battery separators and electrolytes, electrolytic aluminium, electric-powered heavy machinery and trucks for mining and industrial use, as well as photovoltaic glass for the solar energy industry.

“Downstreaming ultimately leads to industrialisation,” Rosan said, adding that the new projects would enable Indonesia to develop a complete EV battery ecosystem, including battery recycling.

On the industrial park’s development, Rosan said IWIP had attracted US$20 billion in investment since 2018, with a further US$7 billion planned, bringing the total to US$27 billion, while employment had reached 117,000 workers.

He said the industrial park currently accommodated 52 tenants, including international commodity trading companies Glencore and Trafigura, alongside investors from Australia and India.

Rosan said IWIP had recorded exports worth about US$11 billion so far, while the combined export value of IWIP and the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Central Sulawesi stood at US$28 billion, equivalent to about 10 per cent of Indonesia’s total exports.

On the broader investment outlook, he said Indonesia recorded Rp1,010.6 trillion (Rp1 mln=RM228.3) in realised investment during the first half of 2026, an increase of 7.2 per cent, generating employment for more than 1.4 million people.

Rosan said downstream industrialisation’s contribution to total investment had increased from 25 per cent to 30 per cent over the past two years, with more than 75 per cent of downstream investment realised outside Java.

He added that manufacturing industries now accounted for nearly half of North Maluku’s gross domestic product, reflecting the province’s shift from mining towards industrial production.

“This province is no longer merely a mining region but has become an industrial region,” he said. — Bernama