Indonesia Ships Its First EV Battery Exports as Prabowo Vows at Weda Bay to Safeguard All Investment
WEDA BAY, Indonesia — President Prabowo Subianto on October 8 launched commercial operations and new construction at nickel- and aluminium-based projects worth billions of dollars at the Weda Bay industrial park in Central Halmahera, North Maluku — and presided over Indonesia's first exports of electric-vehicle batteries, produced by REPT Battero. Prabowo used the ceremony to pledge that his government would respect and safeguard all investment. 'I emphasise here an Indonesian government commitment to respect and safeguard all investments, from wherever,' he said. 'We are committed to safeguarding our partnership as well as possible. It is a matter of honour for the Indonesian people to support our partners.'
The Weda Bay park is partly controlled by Chinese steelmaker Tsingshan Holding Group. The four projects launched were worth $3.4 billion, while investment in six other projects is expected to reach $6.8 billion, Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani said at the same event. Companies investing at Weda Bay include PT Guang Ching Nickel Cobalt, PT Weda Bay Aluminium and PT Flatsolar Energy Indonesia, according to the Investment Ministry.
Indonesia holds the world's largest nickel ore reserves and banned exports of raw nickel in 2020 to promote domestic processing. The policy has helped the country become the world's top exporter of nickel products, making up around 60 percent of global supply, with export value growing from $3.3 billion in 2017 to over $33 billion by 2024. The metal and smelting boom has drawn massive investment, mainly from China.
But investors have concerns. Chinese companies operating in Indonesia have recently written to the president calling for more business-friendly policies, warning that tighter mining quotas, higher taxes and a new pricing formula were driving up costs and threatening investment. Prabowo's public pledge at a park dense with Chinese capital was widely read as a direct response. For the global EV supply chain, Indonesia's step from exporting raw materials to exporting finished batteries marks a further rise in Southeast Asia's weight in the battery map.
Sources: Compiled from Reuters reporting on October 8, 2026, and Antara's report on the launch of Indonesia's first EV battery export.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：南哈马黑拉奥比岛镍业冶炼厂区实景（资料图）。摄影：Gelandang，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
