Indonesia launches major industrial estate on Borneo island

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (left) was at the ground-breaking ceremony. PHOTO: LUHUT BINSAR PANDJAITAN/FACEBOOK via The Straits Times/ANN

JAKARTA, Dec 21 (Reuters): Indonesia started construction on Tuesday of a new industrial estate on Borneo island, which officials said aims to use hydropower for plants producing items including semiconductors, lithium ion batteries, solar panels and aluminium products.

Located in North Kalimantan province on Borneo, the estate will span 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) and include investment from China and the United Arab Emirates, President Joko Widodo said during a ground-breaking ceremony.