Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (C) inspects the factory of PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode factory, PT BTR, invested by China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Muchlis Jr/Presidential Press Bureau/Handout via Xinhua)

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode factory, PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR), invested by China's BTR New Material Group (BTR).

PT BTR, located in Indonesia's Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java province, currently has an annual production capacity of 80,000 tons of anode material, one of the battery materials for electric vehicles (EVs).

The inauguration of the factory marked the completion of the first phase of the BTR project in Indonesia, with an investment of 478 million U.S. dollars. The second phase, scheduled to start in late 2024, will involve an additional 299 million U.S. dollars in investment, doubling the factory's production capacity to 160,000 tons.

"I am very happy that PT BTR can produce 80,000 tons of anode material per year. If manufactured into cars, this will enable the production of 1.5 million electric cars. With the additional 80,000 tons from the second phase, this capacity will increase to 3 million electric cars per year," said Widodo at the inauguration ceremony.

"Our big plan to establish an integrated, strong EV ecosystem is being realized step by step," he noted.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, noted that with an annual capacity of 160,000 tons in the near future, Indonesia will become the second largest anode material producer in the world. This development will contribute to building a complete lithium battery ecosystem in Indonesia.

According to BTR Chairman He Xueqin, this factory filled a gap in the lithium-ion battery anode field in Indonesia and the entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

The combined investment in the first and second phases of the project will help create 7,800 jobs, with more than 94 percent of the positions to be filled by locals, he added. 

This photo shows an exterior view of PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode factory, PT BTR, invested by China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (R, front) inspects the factory of PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode factory, PT BTR, invested by China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Muchlis Jr/Presidential Press Bureau/Handout via Xinhua)

A drone photo shows an exterior view of PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode factory, PT BTR, invested by China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo delivers a speech at the inauguration ceremony of PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode factory, PT BTR, invested by China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

A drone photo shows an exterior view of PT Indonesia BTR New Energy Material (PT BTR) at Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java province, Indonesia, Aug. 7, 2024. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the country's first lithium-ion battery anode factory, PT BTR, invested by China's BTR New Material Group (BTR). (Xinhua/Xu Qin)