IBC Says CATL Battery Plant in Indonesia Already Has Prospective Buyers
15 August 2026 10:50
Jakarta — Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC) says batteries produced at the new CATL-linked electric vehicle battery plant in Indonesia have already attracted prospective buyers as the facility prepares to enter commercial production.
IBC is currently focusing on operational readiness while continuing to develop technology to ensure that batteries manufactured domestically can compete effectively in the market.
“IBC is currently focusing on and moving toward innovation, and we hope the government will also encourage the strengthening of the domestic EV battery innovation ecosystem,” IBC representative Aditya said.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia previously reported preparations for the inauguration of the battery plant, developed with China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), to President Prabowo Subianto.
Bahlil said construction of the integrated battery manufacturing facility, which began in 2025, has now been completed and the plant is ready for commercial production.
“Now it is finished and can begin production. This is part of the implementation of nickel downstreaming,” Bahlil said.
The facility forms part of Indonesia’s broader strategy to develop a domestic EV battery supply chain based on the country’s nickel resources.
Part of the $5.9 Billion Project Dragon
PT Contemporary Amperex Technology Indonesia Battery (CATIB) is a joint venture established to operate the EV battery-cell manufacturing facility in Indonesia.
CATIB is a collaboration between
Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC) and
Ningbo Contemporary Brunp Lygend Co., Ltd. (CBL), a subsidiary of Chinese battery giant
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL).
The plant forms a core component of
Project Dragon, an integrated upstream-to-downstream battery industrialization project involving PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam), IBC and CBL.
Total investment planned for Project Dragon amounts to
$5.9 billion.
For the battery-cell manufacturing operation specifically, the CBL/CATL consortium holds a
70% stake in CATIB, while IBC owns the remaining
30%.
Production Capacity to Reach 15 GWh
Located in the
Karawang industrial area in West Java, covering Artha Industrial Hill and KNIC, the CATIB manufacturing facility occupies approximately
43 hectares.
Development is divided into two main phases. The first phase provides initial production capacity of
6.9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year. The second phase will expand total capacity to
15 GWh annually.
At full capacity, the plant is projected to supply batteries for approximately
250,000–300,000 electric vehicles per year.
In addition to producing battery cells, modules and battery packs for electric vehicles, CATIB is designed to manufacture
battery energy storage systems (BESS). These systems can support energy storage for renewable power generation, including solar power plants.
The completion of the facility represents another major step in Indonesia’s effort to move beyond exporting nickel and establish a more complete domestic battery and electric-vehicle industrial ecosystem.
IBC menyebut sudah mengamankan calon pembeli baterai kendaraan listrik dari fasilitas manufaktur PT Contemporary Amperex Technology Indonesia Battery.
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