TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has expressed its support to the government`s plan to develop electric cars in order to cut the use of fossil fuels, an official stated on Wednesday.

Herutama Trikoranto, the senior vice president of PT Pertamina Research and Technology, noted that the company is ready to migrate to using green energy in the transportation, commercial, and domestic sectors.

"However, the infrastructure and regulations should be well-prepared (by the government)," Trikoranto remarked during the Pertamina Energy Forum 2017.

In order to support the development of electric cars, the oil and gas company needs to collaborate with an automotive manufacturer in the country.

"Collaborations with automakers are clearly important, mainly in terms of preparing a business road map (for the development of electric cars)," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Yenni Andayani, the director of Pertamina Gas, stated that the company is seeking to promote the use of some alternative forms of energy in the transportation sector.

In the past, Pertamina had promoted the use of gas and liquid petroleum gas to the public.

On a similar occasion, Go Tejima, the project manager of Toyota Motor, pointed out that the automotive industry had currently developed and was marketing electric cars in the US and European countries.

However, before manufacturing and promoting electric cars in Indonesia, the government needs to prepare the necessary infrastructure and regulations, Tejima reiterated.

Maritime Affairs Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan had earlier revealed that the government will collaborate with South Korea to manufacture lithium-ion batteries for electric cars.

The minister had discussed the plan with the South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Cho Taiyoung.

"South Korea is one of the leading countries to have produced lithium-ion batteries," Panjaitan remarked.

Although Indonesia has abundant raw materials to produce lithium-ion batteries, the country still imports the products from abroad, the minister stressed.

"Hence, we are seeking to forge greater partnerships (to producing lithium-ion batteries). We have abundant raw materials, and we should consider halting the import of lithium-ion batteries," he noted.

ANTARA