Fatal blast in Indonesia puts battery metal ambitions in spotlight ahead of Presidential vote

JAKARTA (Bloomberg): A deadly explosion at a Chinese-owned facility in Indonesia has highlighted the hidden costs of Jakarta’s ambitious bet on battery metal processing to accelerate industrial development, a signature policy of outgoing leader Joko Widodo.

The 21 fatalities at Tsingshan Holding Group’s plant at Morowali on the island of Sulawesi, just weeks ahead of a presidential election, have triggered worker protests, anger on social media, and calls for tighter regulation of a sector that has underpinned the president’s plan to shift Indonesia from ore exporter to electric vehicle hub.