JAKARTA, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O), the US automaker, will send delegations to Indonesia next month to discuss possible investment in a supply chain for its electric vehicles, the government said at a meeting on Saturday. release.

President Joko Widodo has touted Indonesia’s nickel reserves on several occasions, telling Reuters last month that “it is very important because we have a great plan to make Indonesia the largest producer of lithium batteries and we have the largest (reserves) of nickel”.

The president and Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, were on a call with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday to discuss “investment opportunities from electric vehicle company Tesla in Indonesia,” the president said. ministry.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Luhut told Reuters last month that “there is a very good chance” companies will want to invest in nickel processing in Indonesia to reduce costs.

Musk has said he plans to offer a “giant contract for a long period of time” as long as the nickel is mined “in an environmentally friendly and efficient way.”

Indonesia is interested in developing a complete nickel supply chain at home, especially for battery chemical extraction, battery manufacturing, and eventually electric vehicle construction.

Reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe and Stanley Widianto; Edited by Raju Gopalakrishnan

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