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JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo is offering billionaire Elon Musk to use the country’s planned rocket launch site in the remote province of Papua for his company SpaceX.
The president, popularly known as Jokowi, had a phone conversation with Musk on Friday (December 11) to discuss a possible partnership with billionaire Tesla’s electric vehicle company.
“President Joko Widodo is also inviting (Mr. Musk) to consider Indonesia as a launch pad for SpaceX,” said a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment Coordination.
FILE PHOTO: Indonesian President Joko Widodo gestures during an interview with Reuters at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on November 13, 2020. REUTERS / Willy Kurniawan / File Photo
The Indonesian National Aeronautics and Space Institute is currently building the country’s first rocket launch site on Biak Island, in the country’s easternmost province, Papua. The site, which will be used to launch small-sized unmanned space rockets, is expected to be completed in 2024.
SpaceX, which was founded by Musk, is currently launching its rockets from four US facilities.
Indonesia, home to large deposits of copper, nickel and tin, is already in talks with Tesla about a possible battery electric partnership.
Musk even praised Indonesia’s nickel deposit in a tweet in July.
Nickel is a key component in lithium-ion batteries that are used to power electric vehicles.
Last month, Widodo sent one of the most important members of his cabinet, the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, to the United States to meet with Musk and other American investors.
The meeting with Musk was canceled after the billionaire tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, Musk has recovered from the disease.
READ: Indonesia Plans EV Incentives for Foreign Car Makers
According to the ministry statement, following a telephone conversation with Jokowi on Friday, Musk agreed to send a team to Indonesia in January to discuss investment opportunities.
Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, December 1, 2020 (Britta Pedersen / Pool via AP).
Indonesia aims to become the world’s largest producer of batteries for electric vehicles and hopes to move from exporting chemicals and minerals to battery manufacturers in other countries to producing battery units.
The country is also providing incentives to foreign automakers looking to produce their electric vehicles in Indonesia.
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