TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi said the country’s first factory for electric vehicles or EV batteries will be constructed in the industrial park area (KIPI) in North Kalimantan.

“Yes, this Indonesian industrial park, which covers an area of 13,000 hectares, will later be prepared for the development of the first EV battery industry,” he said while visiting the location as broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, February 28.

He also said a petrochemical factory and aluminum industry will be built in the area. “We hope all of them will be supported by green energy, by renewable energy, by hydropower from the Mentarang River, Kayan River in North Kalimantan,” the President added.

At the start of the operation, the area would still use electricity from the state-owned electricity firm PLN. The move to green energy, he claimed, would be carried out in stages.

Apart from using green energy, the state head also hoped that goods produced by the factories are green products. Thus, North Kalimantan’s KIPI could be declared the world’s largest green industrial park.

“This is the future of Indonesia. The future of Indonesia is here. If this is realized well, everyone will flock here. Any industry related to green products will definitely look to this region,” he said.

The construction of KIPI, which was expected to help the country export finished goods or semi-finished goods, instead of raw materials, started in December 2021.

Jokowi likened KIPI to a leapfrog for the Indonesian economy on the international stage. “We will gain the benefits in real five to 10 years from now. We'll see how useful it will be,” Jokowi said optimistically.

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH

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