Chinese battery manufacturer Rept Battero has announced plans to develop an 8GWh gigafactory in Indonesia specialising in lithium-ion cells for battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Rept Battero’s non-wholly-owned subsidiary, PT Rept Battero Indonesia, will invest in and construct the Indonesian Battery Factory. The total investment cost was not disclosed, but its shareholders confirmed that a joint total of US$139.5 million will be invested in the regional subsidiary.
Infinitude International Investment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rept Battero, will inject US$83.7 million into PT Rept Battero to aid the gigafactory’s development.
The gigafactory will be dedicated to research and development, manufacturing, and selling lithium-ion batteries, battery components, modules, and battery packs.
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This is the latest expansion of Rept Battero’s presence within the Indonesian energy storage market. In 2023, Rept Battero signed a framework agreement with developer Vena Energy for a 2GW solar-plus-storage project that could feature as much as 8GWh of BESS. Vena struck similar agreements with Chinese solar technology company Suntech and US-headquartered BESS system integrator and manufacturer Powin Energy.
The agreement addresses opportunities to establish local production lines for solar PV modules and BESS components. These production lines will support Vena Energy’s hybrid megaproject, currently under development in Indonesia’s Riau Islands province.
It is also worth noting that Rept Battero recently launched a North American subsidiary based in Irvine, California, US. The company has a strong presence within this market having supplied the equipment for a 100MW/200MWh BESS integrated by Energy Vault for developer Jupiter Power in Texas’ ERCOT market. Other deals for the manufacturer with US-headquartered integrators include a 12GWh multi-year supply deal partnership with Powin and a 2.5GWh partnership with Mitsubishi Power Americas BESS spin-off Prevalon.
Investment opportunities in Indonesia’s energy transition
Indonesia, which, according to global accounting giant PwC, will become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2050, recently ramped up its renewable energy targets, eyeing a potential 75GW of capacity by 2040. This was confirmed at the G20 Summit in Brazil in November 2024.
This development is spearheaded by the country’s plan to withdraw coal-fired power from its electricity mix by 2040. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the country ranks sixth in total emissions from coal.
With variable renewable energy generation, such as solar PV and wind, set to take centre stage in the country’s energy transition, energy storage will complement this. This potential has seen several prospective manufacturing facilities proposed in Indonesia.
For instance, state-owned company, PT Industri Baterai Indonesia, or Indonesia Battery Corporation, is currently exploring opportunities to establish battery cell manufacturing and energy storage integration facilities in the country with engineering specialist Citaglobal.
Despite the opportunities for manufacturing, from a deployment perspective, battery storage has not yet taken off in Indonesia beyond a handful of projects, including a 5MW pilot announced by the government in March 2022.
