JAKARTA, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government will source lithium from Australia to support the development of its domestic battery industry, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia said on Tuesday.
Bahlil noted that while Indonesia possesses abundant reserves of nickel, cobalt, and manganese, all essential for battery production, it lacks a domestic supply of lithium.
"Well, now we are collaborating with Australia to import lithium from there," he said at the International Battery Summit held in Jakarta.
He explained that Indonesia has so far been importing lithium from Africa, but high transportation costs have been a challenge due to the long distance.
By shifting imports to Australia, which is geographically closer, logistics expenses can be significantly reduced, he said.
"It will be much more economical to import lithium from Australia because of the transportation costs," he said.
However, Bahlil noted that the potential volume of lithium imports from Australia has yet to be determined, as the plan is still under review. ■