Posted on 01 Apr 2024
Hong Kong-listed battery company REPT Battero Energy, a subsidiary of Chinese nickel giant Tsingshan Group, is said to be building its first overseas battery factory in Indonesia.
According to Bloomberg, the battery maker is likely to choose the location which is next to Tsingshan’s existing facilities in Weda Bay. Production is scheduled to start in 2025.
Kallanish was unable to confirm the information with REPT Battero, though it notes the company secured an Indonesian cell supply deal with US-based POWIN last year. The parties announced POWIN would purchase 8.4 gigawatt-hours of REPT’s 320-ampere-hour cells in Indonesia for its battery storage projects in the country.
Establishing this factory in Indonesia can help REPT get resources and assistance from Tsingshan more easily and may avoid political issues which might harm the smooth execution of the trade and production activities.
“Many battery manufacturers are building factories and ramping up in Europe and North America, but we expect their capacity will only operate from around 2026 or after. We want to get ahead of them with the factory in Indonesia,” Jason Hong, US general manager of REPT, was quoted as saying.
So far, REPT’s EV battery clients include SAIC, Dongfeng, FAW, Leapmotor, and Hozon (Neta Auto). SAIC-GM-Wuling, a brand famous for mini EVs, has local manufacturing capacity in Indonesia.
In February, the Indonesian government passed new regulations featuring more tax incentives for electric vehicle sales, aiming to further stimulate fleet electrification. According to the new rules, for fiscal 2024, luxury tax won’t be charged on EVs and as of the end of 2025, import tax will be removed for EVs.
Source:Kallanish
