BALI, May 22 – Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, highlighted two potential areas for investment offered to Elon Musk in Indonesia, namely a rocket launch pad and lithium batteries.
“During the meeting with President Joko Widodo, they discussed the possibility of a rocket launch pad in Biak,” he stated on the sidelines of the 10th World Water Forum in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Tuesday.
Pandjaitan remarked that Musk planned to launch 150 rockets a year.
Moreover, he noted that the Tesla CEO was exploring another potential in Biak, namely natural gas that is expected to be the energy supporting the investment offer.
Apart from that, the minister said President Widodo also offered investment related to lithium batteries and their derivatives.
“I think it is a very good step to cut the gap between Indonesia and the United States in the electric vehicles (EV) sector,” he remarked.
He explained that the offer was in line with the US government’s plan to increase electric vehicle production by up to 11 times by 2030.
“Without Indonesian nickel assistance, this could never be achieved. We want to collaborate,” he stated.
The presence of the SpaceX CEO became the center of attention during the 10th World Water Forum.
Musk was invited as one of the speakers at the opening of the 10th World Water Forum.
He undertook a visit to Bali to also launch the use of his satellite internet service, namely Starlink, to help support community health centers in remote areas experiencing difficulties in internet networks.
“I was invited to the World Water Forum. Hence, this seems like the right time to officially announce the launch of Starlink as well,” Musk told the media on May 19.
