Prabowo Schedules Karawang EV Battery Plant Inauguration
Prabowo Subianto will soon inaugurate an electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Karawang, West Java, built through a partnership between China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) and state-owned mining enterprise PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam). Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia announced the upcoming launch following a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, October 29, 2026, stating that the plant has already commenced production. Prabowo Subianto summoned Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia to the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Indonesia to discuss the rural electricity program alongside battery industry cooperation. Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia stated that the preparation of the plant had been reported to President Prabowo after a Limited Cabinet Meeting at the State Palace on Thursday, October 29, 2026. In the near future it will be inaugurated because the factory has started production,
stated Bahlil.
The facility operates under PT Contemporary Amperex Technology Indonesia Battery (CATIB), a joint venture formed by the Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC) and CBL, a subsidiary of CATL. The factory sits within Artha Industrial Hill and Karawang New Industry City, representing an investment valued at approximately US$ 1,2 miliar setara Rp 21,19 triliun. Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony officiated by Prabowo on June 29, 2025, meaning physical development took roughly 13 months before the plant started operations in July 2026. Contemporary Amperex Technology is a battery enterprise originating from the People’s Republic of China, while Antam is an Indonesian state-owned enterprise operating in mining and precious metals. Alongside the Karawang project, IBC and CATL are also developing a battery material project in Halmahera with an investment value of US$ 600 juta or equivalent to Rp 10,59 triliun.
Expanding Indonesia’s Integrated Battery Supply Chain
The Karawang facility is one of the electric vehicle battery plants in Indonesia, joining a growing domestic processing network. Bahlil explained that the country’s manufacturing footprint now includes a facility operated by Hyundai, a plant launched in Halmahera involving investment from the People’s Republic of China, and the new CATL-Antam site in West Java. The Hyundai facility possesses a production capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours for battery cells, while the CATIB site is designed to reach a capacity of 15 gigawatt-hours, which can provide power for approximately 250,000 electric vehicles. This facility serves as the second electric vehicle battery plant following the operation and inauguration of PT Hyundai LG Indonesia (HLI) Green Power’s plant in Karawang in July 2024.
Government officials emphasize that these installations solidify a domestic supply chain spanning multiple industrial stages. Bahlil noted that the national ecosystem connects mineral mining, smelters, high-pressure acid leaching facilities, precursors, cathodes, and final battery cells. Official industrial data shows that other participants, such as PT BYD Auto Indonesia and PT Rept Batttero Indonesia, also maintain local packaging and module operations with capacities reaching 150,000 units and 80,520 units per year respectively, as the Ministry of Industry pushes automakers to utilize locally manufactured components. Perhaps not many countries have this. Well, this is part of the downstreaming effort, yes.
remarked Bahlil.
Upcoming Rural Electrification Program Rollout
Alongside industrial manufacturing updates, Prabowo’s agenda includes expanding public infrastructure access to remote regions. Bahlil announced that the administration will soon inaugurate the 2025 rural electricity program, with ceremonies planned across approximately 1,413 locations spanning 13 different points, predominantly in Sulawesi. The initiative targets regions lacking basic grid connectivity, as government figures indicate that nearly 11,000 villages and hamlets across Indonesia still lack electricity access. Kemungkinan besar kita akan lakukan di Sulawesi.