Prabowo expected to inaugurate Karawang EV battery plant
The facility began operating in July 2026, according to Indonesia Battery Corporation, with initial capacity of 6.9 GWh.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is expected to inaugurate an electric-vehicle battery factory in Karawang, West Java, Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia said on 19 October 2026. The plant is already operating.
The operator, PT Contemporary Amperex Technology Indonesia Battery (CATIB), is a joint venture between Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC) and CBL, a subsidiary of Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL).
IBC president director Aditya Farhan Arif said on 14 September that production had started in July 2026. He said the facility makes batteries for electric vehicles as well as battery energy storage systems.
Its completed first phase has capacity of 6.9 GWh, with expansion planned to at least 15 GWh, Aditya said. Investment to develop the plant to 15 GWh is estimated at about US$1.2 billion. That capacity would be equivalent to supplying batteries for around 250,000 electric vehicles.
Construction began on 29 June 2025, when Prabowo attended the groundbreaking. The production complex includes a cell factory stretching 1 km and an adjacent battery-packing facility.
To support operations, IBC sent 600 employees to China for training under a knowledge-transfer programme. The company also plans to install solar power capacity of 18 MW peak in 2027.
