By Lambok Dominikus
China’s Chengxin Lithium Group Co and Tsingshan Holding Group are expected to complete construction of their joint lithium processing plant at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Central Sulawesi, at the end of this year.
Septian Hario Seto, Deputy for Mining of the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment, said that the lithium plant will have an annual capacity to produce 60,000 tons of lithium chemicals, one of the three key materials for EV batteries.
“This (lithium plant) is under construction and by the end of this year will be completed,” he said at the Hannover Messe event on Wednesday in Germany.
He added that the lithium concentrates will be imported from Australia as Indonesia doesn’t have lithium concentrates.
Read also: Chengxin, Tsingshan to develop lithium plant in RI
As previously reported, Chengxin holds 65 percent interest in the estimated US$350 million lithium plant project, while Tsinghan holds the remaining 35 percent stake.
Once completed, Tsingshan will emerge as a major scale producer of three key EV battery materials as the Chinese stainless steel giant is also developing battery-grade nickel and cobalt production facilities in Indonesia with other partners, and help realize the Indonesian government’s ambition of turning the country, which holds the world’s largest nickel reserves and has abundant supply of other raw materials for EV batteries, into a major players in the global EV supply chain.
South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) plan massive investments to develop integrated EV battery projects in Indonesia.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak
