Indonesia ships its first electric vehicle batteries as eleven downstreaming projects worth $10.2 billion open at Weda Bay

8 October 2026

Indonesia has sent out its first export shipment of electric vehicle batteries, from the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park in Central Halmahera, North Maluku province. President Prabowo Subianto marked the shipment alongside the launch of eleven downstreaming projects together valued at about US$10.2 billion, or Rp180 trillion. Four of them began commercial operation, accounting for US$3.4 billion, while seven broke ground at a cost of US$6.8 billion. The four already running cover nickel processing, battery manufacturing, aluminium and heavy equipment. Products leaving the park include mixed hydroxide precipitate, nickel manganese cobalt and lithium iron phosphate battery materials, electrolytic aluminium and heavy equipment components. Downstreaming, Indonesia's policy of processing ore at home instead of exporting it raw, underlies the park's build-out.