CATL starts production at $6bn Indonesia battery JV in Karawang

CATL has started production at a US$6 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Karawang, West Java Province, months after construction began in June 2025. The facility, controlled by PT Contemporary Amperex Technology Indonesia Battery (CATIB), is scheduled for official inauguration by Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto later this month, according to local reports.

CATIB is a joint venture between three partners: CATL itself, Indonesian mining company PT Aneka Tambang (Antam), and PT Industri Baterai Indonesia, also known as Indonesia Battery Corporation. The Indonesian government established the third partner specifically to help build an integrated EV battery and clean energy ecosystem in the country.

What capacity does the plant actually have?

The first phase delivers an initial annual production capacity of 6.9 GWh, with plans in place to scale up to 15 GWh. That 15 GWh figure is an announced intention, not yet installed capacity, so treat it as a target to verify against actual output over the coming quarters.

CATL claims the Karawang facility is highly automated, with 80% of production processes carried out by robots. As with any supplier announcement, that figure is a company claim rather than an independently audited number.

Where will the batteries go?

Most of the initial output will supply Indonesia's fast-expanding local EV assembly industry. That industry mostly produces Chinese-branded vehicles, and CATL's cells help those manufacturers meet the country's minimum local content regulations — rules requiring a set share of domestically sourced components.

What does this change for assemblers operating in Indonesia? It gives them a domestic Tier 1 battery source inside the country, reducing reliance on imported cells and smoothing compliance with local content thresholds ahead of any tightening of those rules.

How does the plant fit Indonesia's battery map?

CATIB is the third EV battery plant to begin operations in Indonesia. The first two are:

• Hyundai's plant, also located in Karawang, West Java Province
• PT REPT Battero Indonesia, in Halmahera, North Maluku Province, owned by REPT Battero Energy Company, a subsidiary of China's Tsingshan Group

Three operating plants in a single market marks a rapid build-out for a country that had no domestic cell manufacturing at scale until recently. The Karawang cluster alone now hosts two of them, concentrating battery supply next to vehicle assembly in West Java.

The structure of the venture also matters. With Antam as a partner, the JV ties cell production to Indonesian nickel and mining interests, aligning with the government's stated goal of capturing more of the battery value chain domestically rather than exporting raw material.

What to watch next

Watch the official inauguration later this month for any confirmed timing on the second phase. The key milestones are the ramp from initial output toward full use of the 6.9 GWh first phase, any announcement on when the 15 GWh expansion begins, and evidence of which Chinese-brand assemblers sign offtake agreements with CATIB.