Danantara Seeks Global Partners to Develop Indonesia’s Downstream Nickel Industry
JAKARTA — Danantara Indonesia is opening up opportunities to work with strategic partners from various countries to develop Indonesia’s downstream nickel industry. The partnerships are aimed at investors with expertise in building production facilities and the capacity to co-invest to strengthen the national industrial supply chain.
Danantara Indonesia Managing Director for Global Relations and Communications Pahala Nugraha Mansury said Danantara Investment Management (DIM) could seek global partners capable of developing industrial facilities. He cited the MIND ID Group’s partnerships with foreign investors to advance downstream processing.
“Another example is what our colleagues at MIND ID have done. It includes Inalum, Antam and IBC. In this case, they are pursuing downstream processing in partnership with prospective investors or other investors from overseas,” Pahala said at BIG Downstream Insights 2026 in Jakarta several days ago, as quoted on Monday (26 October 2026).
He explained that developing the downstream nickel industry requires investors to participate at several stages of production. These range from processing nickel into mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) and nickel sulphate to producing cathode materials, battery cells and electric-vehicle battery packs.
According to Pahala, each production stage requires interconnected industrial facilities. Strategic investor partnerships are therefore one approach to building an integrated nickel value chain while increasing the added value of Indonesia’s mineral commodities.
MIND ID is involving several of its subsidiaries in the development: PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum), PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam) and Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC). Antam is involved in nickel mining, while IBC is developing the electric-vehicle battery ecosystem.
Separately, National Economic Council (DEN) Executive Secretary Septian Hario Seto said capital requirements were one of the challenges in developing downstream industries. Investment in processing and further production facilities, he said, requires many times more funding than activity in the upstream sector.
“The upstream sector provides the basis of assurance or confidence for people to undertake downstream processing. We know that investment in downstream processing is many times greater than investment in the upstream sector,” Seto said.
The DEN considers the link between upstream and downstream sectors fundamental to investors before they commit capital. A reliable supply of raw materials is needed to sustain production and ensure investments deliver the anticipated benefits.
One partnership in Indonesia’s battery-industry development involves Antam, IBC and China’s Ningbo Contemporary Brunp Lygend Co. Ltd. (CBL), a joint venture involving Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), Brunp and Lygend.
The integrated electric-vehicle battery ecosystem project has an investment value of US$5.9 billion, equivalent to Rp96.04 trillion. The collaboration forms part of efforts to develop Indonesia’s battery industry supply chain, from processing nickel feedstock to producing higher-value battery components.