Energy Minister Bill Johnston said that through the Western Australia-Indonesia Energy Forum, the government is exploring opportunities with Indonesian counterparts, to boost participation in global battery and critical mineral supply chains, as well as to grow value-adding and manufacturing industries.
The event, held in Jakarta, saw WA representatives and KADIN (Indonesian Chamber of Commerce) explore how Western Australia might help Indonesia achieve its goal of becoming a global leader in electrical vehicle manufacturing through mid-stream processing in the state.
This comes after Western Australia and KADIN signed a Memorandum of Understanding in February to encourage cooperation in building a critical minerals supply chain, as well as to stimulate investment and collaboration in developing value-added critical minerals and battery sectors.
According to the government, the deal aids both Western Australia’s and Indonesia’s economic goals since there is a greater emphasis on safeguarding critical minerals and battery supply chains in order to combat climate change.
In July, during the visit of Republic of Indonesia President Joko Widodo to Australia, Premier Roger Cook signed a Plan of Action with KADIN to enhance future potential for collaboration.
The premier then invited KADIN to visit Perth and attend WA’s Green Energy Summit in November to gain a better understanding of the state’s downstream battery mineral processing capabilities.
“The WA-Indonesia Energy Forum presents an invaluable opportunity to discuss face-to-face the decarbonisation of both our local and global economies,” Premier Cook stated.
He added that both regions are in an “enviable energy position”, with Indonesia being the world’s largest nickel mining and refining centre and Western Australia being the world’s largest producer of lithium.
“I look forward to discussing further how we can seize upon these prospects for both regions,” Cook said.
Meanwhile, Minister Johnston said the state is also garnering substantial global attention from markets such as Indonesia to support the transition to renewable energy with critical minerals and rare earth resources.
