JAKARTA – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, met with Abdulnasser Ibrahim Saif Bin Kalban, CEO of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), to discuss collaboration on developing Indonesia’s aluminium industry through the construction of a bauxite smelter. The meeting took place during the World Government Summit 2025 in Dubai on February 12, 2025.

Abdulnasser emphasized in a written statement on Thursday (13/2) that Indonesia has great potential to become a global hub for the aluminium industry, but the project still requires mapping and feasibility studies to ensure production efficiency and international competitiveness.

One tangible step from this collaboration is an agreement between EGA and PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) to expand the smelter capacity in North Sumatra to 400,000 tons per year. However, the project faces major challenges, including high electricity costs and limited low-carbon power supply required for producing green aluminium.

To address these challenges, Abdulnasser mentioned that EGA has adopted environmentally friendly energy solutions, such as using solar panels in the production process and planning the construction of a nuclear power plant with a capacity of up to 5 GW.

In response, Minister Airlangga reaffirmed the government’s commitment to accelerating collaboration with EGA and ensuring the readiness of supporting infrastructure through coordination with relevant stakeholders to generate economic benefits.

“It must be ensured that this aluminium sector collaboration has a significant economic impact, especially in job creation,” said Airlangga. (EF/ZH)