Indonesia advances nickel downstreaming for EV battery ecosystem

Indonesia is advancing its electric vehicle (EV) battery ecosystem through major nickel downstreaming projects. PT ANTAM (Persero) Tbk is developing the Dragon and Titan projects in North Maluku. The Dragon project involves a consortium including CATL, ANTAM, and Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC), covering the entire value chain from mining to battery cell production. Key milestones include the completion of the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the High Pressure Acid Leach (HPAL) facility and ongoing construction for mining and RKEF processing facilities.

In a separate initiative, a new HPAL facility is being constructed in Sambalagi, Sulawesi. This project is a collaboration between PT Vale Indonesia Tbk, China's GEM Co., Ltd., and South Korea's EcoPro. The facility utilizes advanced hydrometallurgy to process lower-grade nickel ore (0.4% to 0.6%) into nickel and cobalt for the battery supply chain. The project aims to prioritize high capacity, energy efficiency, and low-carbon processing to meet global material demands.