To strengthen the supply chain of lithium battery ecosystem, Indonesia through PT ANEKA TAMBANG TBK (ANTAM) and Hongkong’s company HONGKONG CBL LIMITED (CBL) signed collaboration agreement in Electric Vehicle (EV) Battery Project Divestment on Thursday, December 28, 2023.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut B. Pandjaitan said that this is the first cooperation in the world that covers processing stages from nickel mining to giga factory battery cells and packs, as well as recycling.
“Congratulations to Antam, CBL, and IBC (Indonesia Battery Corporation) for the investment cooperation in the lithium battery ecosystem supply chain in Indonesia. This is the first of its kind in the world, covering the stages from nickel mining to giga factory battery cells and packs, as well as recycling. This answers the question of downstreaming, where there is still much that can be done here,” Luhut said in a statement on Thursday.
Luhut emphasised the importance of efficiency and speed of project execution given the increasingly fierce global competition. He suggested that the execution of the project must remain in compliance with high environmental and labor standards.
“We must be transparent with digitalisation, and the execution of this project must be a standard example for similar projects in the future,” he added.
Luhut cited the importance of openness to criticism on environmental issues and commitment to making improvements, including improving the mechanisms and standard operating procedures (SOPs). He also emphasized the necessity of training for local employees to keep up with high technology.
“Gradually, we must pay attention to high-quality environmental and labor standards. Let’s build an agreement that the officials involved must be transparent, so that Indonesia can become an example of a developed and transparent country,” said Luhut.
Minister of Investment/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia emphasized the need to implement the environmental and labor standards conveyed by Luhut.
“Congratulations to the ANTAM and CBL teams. Implement well the environmental standards, labor recruitment, and try to minimize risks that can be detrimental,” said Bahlil.
The event was attended by among others ANTAM President Director Nico Kanter, ANTAM Business Development Director I Dewa Wirantaya, CEO of Ningbo CBL Tang Honghui, Chairman of CBL Li Changdong, and Deputy for Investment and Mining Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment Septian Hario Seto.
