Jakarta, The Indonesia Post – Investment Minister/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia emphasized the importance of collaborating with local entrepreneurs during a meeting with two French companies, HDF Energy and Eramet.
In a meeting on the sidelines of the 2022 Indonesia Investment Forum (IIF) in London, England, last Thursday (27/10), Bahlil gave his support for HDF Energy’s investment plan in Indonesia related to the development of renewable energy projects in Indonesia.
“But I ask not only to cooperate with SOEs, but with local entrepreneurs other than SOEs, because we want equality. But the entrepreneurs are professional, who can work together and have quality,” Bahlil said in a statement in Jakarta, Saturday.
HDF Energy is currently executing a plan of 20 projects with a total investment of US$1.5 billion. The company also plans to collaborate with regional entrepreneurs.
Deputy CEO of HDF Energy Jean-Noel de Charentenay explained as an Independent Electricity Producer (IPP), the company uses hydrogen to store excess green energy supply from wind and solar supported by battery technology to store energy from these green sources.
HDF has a potential role to support the increase in green energy production, where there are challenges related to the stability of green energy supply when compared to fossil energy.
“So why are we interested in investing in Indonesia? Because we think we have the right solution related to the characteristics of the challenges faced by Indonesia, namely a very large population, we can guarantee the stability of electricity supply. So we feel we have a contribution in Indonesia,” said Noel.
Currently HDF Energy is working on developing the first renewable energy project in Indonesia with a target in eastern Indonesia. The project is planned to be developed in stages starting from Sumba, NTT which will then be expanded to other eastern parts of Indonesia.
Meanwhile, in his meeting with Eramet’s Senior VP Corporate Affairs & Partnerships Pierre-Alain Gautier, Bahlil encouraged the French mining company to immediately realize its investment plan in the construction of a smelter project for battery raw materials.
Eramet in collaboration with BASF, a German chemical company, built a project called the Sonic Bay Project in Weda Bay with a total investment of 2.2-2.5 billion US dollars.
“I expect a commitment from Eramet to immediately realize this project and be able to start construction. I only ask for one thing. The involvement of local entrepreneurs must be considered. Mining contractors must give local entrepreneurs a share so that there is equality. So I hope this will be the focus of discussion by Eramet with BASF,” Bahlil emphasized.
In response to this, Pierre expressed his readiness to continue to increase the involvement of local entrepreneurs in running their businesses. He also expressed a request for support from the Ministry of Investment to accelerate the processing of land conservation permits.
Previously, the Ministry of Investment/BKPM had facilitated land issues for the Sonic Bay project in the IWIP Industrial Estate related to the approval of the Release of Forest Areas from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK).
“In addition, we also propose cooperation within the framework of the G20 between Indonesia, France, Germany, and the European Union in supporting a global partnership to realize a sustainable integration of strategic mineral resources. Perhaps our project with BASF can be used as a concrete example in the global partnership of natural resources. mineral power,” added Pierre.
Eramet is a mineral resources mining and mineral processing company from France and is one of the largest mining companies in the world. Eramet’s business lines include mining of nickel, manganese, and lithium minerals, as well as alloy research and development. (mhn/bbs)
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