It appears Tesla has sent an investment proposal to Indonesia, confirms a government official.
According to Reuters, Septian Hario Seto, Indonesia’s investment and mining coordination chief, told reporters on Friday he had received a proposal from Tesla on Thursday.
“I received their proposal yesterday morning… next week we will meet them (virtually) to get an official explanation,” Septian said, noting specific details could not be shared due to a non-disclosure agreement.
“If they only want to buy raw materials, we are not interested. This (proposal) is beyond just taking the raw material,” added the official.
Septian did acknowledge the focus of recent talks with Tesla involved batteries and energy storage solutions.
Indonesia is the largest producer of nickel on the planet, a key component for electric vehicle batteries. The country has been trying hard to court Tesla to invest in the nation.
Tesla has previously said it is seeking ethical sources of nickel mining to meet its battery demand, however, companies mining the material in Indonesia want to dump toxic waste into the sea, which may put the automaker at odds with the devastating environmental impact.
