Throughout the year, Indonesia has made significant progress in its long-term goal to become a major player in the global battery metals and electric vehicle industries as part of its plan to support the domestic economy through value-added exports. Key events include Tsingshan Holding Group’s announcement in March of plans to produce nickel matte in the country, production start in May at Ningbo Lygend Mining Co. Ltd. and Harita Group’s battery nickel and cobalt project - the first in the country - and construction start in September of Indonesia’s first EV battery plant, a $1.1 billion facility from South Korea’s LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor Group.

The Indonesian government is also set to impose a ban on copper concentrate exports from 2023. As with the current nickel ore ban, the copper ban is intended to accelerate Indonesia’s production of downstream copper products, helping meet rising demand by EV producers. New smelter capacity is expected to be developed in the coming years, mainly processing rising concentrate output from Freeport-McMoRan’s Grasberg operation.

Uncertainty surrounding Indonesian mining policy, evidenced by recent news that the government is considering imposing an export tax on nickel products with less than 70% nickel content, could nevertheless hamper the ability of the country’s metals sector to attract investment.

Join us as we discuss the latest developments in the Indonesian battery metals sector and economy, and provide insights on their future outlooks.

Key agenda items include:

• Macroeconomic outlook for Indonesia and the global economy
• Outlook for passenger plug-in electric vehicle sales and battery chemistry mix
• Outlook for the Indonesian and global nickel and copper markets
• Global lithium and cobalt market outlooks

Performance of other aspects of the global mining industry