Smelter is Stepping Stone to Become Developed Country, President Jokowi Says

President Jokowi inspects a smelting plant project of PT Freeport Indonesia in Gresik regency, East Java province, on Tuesday (20/06). (Source: BPMI Setpres/Laily Rachev)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo emphasized that smelters are a stepping stone for Indonesia to become a developed country in the future. President Jokowi further said that the presence of several smelting plants in the country will enhance Indonesia’s competitiveness and shift the economic dependency from consumption sector to production sector.

“This smelter is the foundation for us to become a developed country because we are shifting from relying on consumption to relying on production,” said President Jokowi in his statement to the media after inspecting a smelting plant project of PT Freeport Indonesia in Gresik regency, East Java province, Tuesday (20/06).

The President also encouraged the integration of the production output from the smelter plants with other mining commodities spread across various regions in the country. These commodities include nickel in Sulawesi, bauxite in Bintan and West Kalimantan, tin in Bangka Belitung, and copper foil in Gresik.

“This way, they can be integrated into EV batteries, lithium batteries, and further integrated into electric vehicles,” he said.

President Jokowi also expressed his hope that the ongoing smelting plant project, which construction has reached 72 percent, will be finished next year. “We expect everything to be completed before May 2024,” he emphasized. (BPMI SETPRES/AIT) (AS/MIA)