Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Menteri Koordinator Bidang Kemaritiman dan Investasi (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan berpendapat bahwa tanpa nikel Indonesia, pasar kendaraan listrik Amerika akan terpuruk. Dalam tulisannya di media Amerika Serikat (AS), ia mengatakan RI memiliki cadangan logam terbesar di dunia yang penting bagi baterai electric vehicle (EV).

Luhut menyebut Indonesia mengekspor lebih dari separuh produk nikel dunia pada tahun 2023. Di tahun-tahun mendatang, porsi ini diperkirakan akan meningkat.

Meski demikian, ia menyorot beberapa anggota Kongres AS, yang bekerja sama dengan pesaing asing dari Indonesia, telah memutuskan untuk menghalangi impor nikel olahan dari RI.

Baca:Laba MIND ID Rp 24,34 Triliun Pada 2023, Naik 49,4%

"Sejauh ini, mereka berhasil. Namun ketika langkah-langkah yang diambil bersamaan dengan langkah-langkah yang disahkan pada bulan Maret yang memaksa perusahaan-perusahaan untuk beralih dari penjualan kendaraan bertenaga gas, pada akhirnya pekerja otomotif AS-lah yang akan dirugikan," kata Luhut, dikutip dari Foreign Policy, Jumat (3/5/2024).

Sementara itu, Undang-Undang Pengurangan Inflasi (IRA) yang dicanangkan oleh Presiden AS Joe Biden telah mengubah situasi secara mendasar. Produsen AS tidak dapat mengakses subsidinya kecuali inputnya berasal dari negara yang memiliki perjanjian perdagangan bebas dengan Amerika Serikat, dan Luhut menyebut Indonesia tidak memilikinya.

"Untuk menjamin pasokan nikel yang diperlukan bagi produsen mobil AS, tahun lalu pemerintah tempat saya menjabat mengusulkan perjanjian perdagangan terbatas yang mencakup mineral-mineral penting," tulisnya.

Namun sejauh ini, belum ada kesepakatan yang dicapai negeri Paman Sam, usai kelompok bipartisan senator AS dan perusahaan-perusahaan di negara-negara penghasil nikel seperti Australia melakukan kampanye untuk menggagalkan usulan itu.

Baca:Laba Harita Nickel Tembus Rp1,39 T di Kuartal-I 2024, Ini Pendorongnya

Luhut memandang, keberatan para senator cenderung terfokus pada permasalahan lingkungan. Dalam hal ini, banyak smelter di Indonesia yang menggunakan bahan bakar batu bara. Sebagian orang menganggap baterai yang mengandung nikel olahan tersebut akan didiskreditkan, meskipun ada manfaat karbon bersih dari penghentian mesin pembakaran di jalan raya.

"Kemurnian iklim seperti itu menimbulkan kelembaman dan pada akhirnya merugikan diri sendiri. Pertukaran lingkungan sama pentingnya dengan transisi ramah lingkungan seperti halnya nikel terhadap baterai yang akan menggerakkannya," tegas Luhut.

Ia berpendapat bahwa AS perlu mulai menggunakan lebih banyak karet bertenaga Listrik, agar dapat mencapai pengurangan emisi yang signifikan. Adapun sektor transportasi adalah penghasil emisi terbesar di sana, sementara kurang dari 1% kendaraan di AS adalah kendaraan listrik.

"Penerapannya secara luas akan bergantung pada keterjangkauan. Input yang lebih murah berarti baterai yang lebih murah. Bebas dari hambatan perdagangan buatan, nikel olahan dari Indonesia memiliki daya saing karena batubara berlimpah di negara ini," kata Luhut.

Menko Marves RI mengakui bahwa saran itu mungkin tidak ideal. Tetapi, energi terbarukan belum bisa menawarkan biaya yang hemat untuk smelter di Indonesia.

"Daripada menunggu kemajuan teknologi, kita harus menggunakan sumber daya yang kita miliki untuk memurnikan logam penting saat ini," ajak Luhut.

"Nikel Indonesia akan menjadi lebih ramah lingkungan. Namun, agar hal ini terwujud, pembangunan ekonomi sangatlah penting. Hanya dengan penerimaan ekspor atau investasi asing langsung kita dapat mulai mengkonfigurasi ulang sistem energi."

Baca: Jokowi Sebut Pabrik Baterai Listrik Pertama di Indonesia Akan Beroperasi Massal Bulan Depan

Luhut menyebut PT Trimegah Bangun Persada Tbk. (NCKL) atau Harita Nickel sebagai "produsen nikel terbesar di Indonesia," baru bisa menggunakan energi terbarukan di fasilitasnya, karena keberhasilan ekonominya.

Berkaitan dengan hal itu, inisiatif pemerintah dapat membantu. Luhut mengatakan transisi hijau yang sejati di Indonesia pada akhirnya bergantung pada modal.

Ia memandang uang tunai yang dijanjikan Barat melalui kemitraan Just Transition, yakni mekanisme pendanaan iklim untuk menghentikan penggunaan bahan bakar fosil di negara-negara berkembang, tidaklah cukup.

"Terlepas dari apakah janji tersebut benar-benar dilaksanakan atau tidak. Ini bukan seruan untuk mendapatkan uang gratis, melainkan sebuah pernyataan fakta," terang Luhut.

Menurutnya, negara-negara berkembang harus dibiarkan sejahtera dari sumber daya alam yang mereka miliki. Sehingga mereka dapat berperan aktif dalam transisi ramah lingkungan global.

"Kita tidak bisa dan tidak akan menjadi penonton yang bergantung pada bantuan dari pihak-pihak yang baik hati," kata Luhut.

Sementara itu, lanjutnya, agar transisi ramah lingkungan dapat mempertahankan dukungan publik terhadap Indonesia, hal ini harus mampu menciptakan lapangan kerja dan kesejahteraan bagi masyarakat. Pada tahun 2020, pemerintah melarang ekspor bijih nikel mentah untuk menjangkau lebih banyak rantai nilai. Investasi telah membanjiri RI.

Menurutnya, kekhawatiran anggota parlemen AS terhadap lingkungan hidup atas usulan perjanjian perdagangan bebas juga didukung oleh ketegangan antara Beijing dan Washington. Padahal, seperti perusahaan-perusahaan AS dan Korea Selatan, perusahaan Tiongkok hadir dalam pemurnian nikel di Indonesia.

"Indonesia mengulurkan tangan untuk bermitra dengan semua pihak. Terserah pada Washington apakah akan berjabat tangan dan menciptakan masa depan yang lebih hijau. Namun negara saya tidak akan menunggu tanpa batas waktu," ujar Luhut.

https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/market...s-bakal-hancur


ARGUMENT

An expert's point of view on a current event.

Without Indonesia’s Nickel, EVs Have No Future in America

The IRA and Senate opposition to a free trade deal with Jakarta are undermining the United States’ green transition.

By Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s coordinating minister of maritime and investment affairs.

A view of dump trucks loaded with nickel ore at a mining site in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia on Aug. 3, 2023. ULET IFANSASTI/GETTY IMAGES

MAY 1, 2024, 9:26 AM

Without Indonesian nickel, the United States’ electric vehicle market will flounder. My nation sits on the world’s largest reserves of the metal that is central to EV batteries. In 2023, Indonesia exported over half the world’s nickel products. In the coming years, this share is projected to grow.

Yet some members of the U.S. Congress, working together with Indonesia’s foreign competitors, have resolved to stymie the import of refined nickel from my country. So far, they are succeeding. But when taken together with measures passed in March compelling companies to shift away from selling gas-powered vehicles, it is ultimately U.S. auto workers who will lose out.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has fundamentally altered the playing field. U.S. manufacturers cannot access its subsidies unless inputs come from a country with which the United States has a free trade agreement—which Indonesia does not.

To ensure the necessary supply of nickel to U.S. automakers, last year the government in which I serve proposed a limited trade deal covering critical minerals. So far, nothing has yet been agreed after a concerted campaign to derail it by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators and firms in nickel-producing nations such as Australia.

The senators’ objections tend to focus on environmental concerns. Many Indonesian smelters are powered by coal. For some, that means any battery containing its refined nickel is discredited, despite the net carbon benefit of taking combustion engines off the road. Such climate purity breeds inertia and is ultimately self-defeating. Environmental trade-offs are as critical to the green transition as nickel is to the batteries that will power it.

For the United States to see a significant reduction in emissions, more EV-powered rubber must hit the road. The transport sector is the country’s largest emitter, while less than 1 percent of U.S. vehicles are electric. Their widespread adoption will be contingent on affordability. Cheaper inputs mean cheaper batteries. Free from artificial trade barriers, refined nickel from Indonesia is competitive because coal is abundant in the country.

That may not be ideal. But renewables have yet to offer a cost-effective option to power smelters in Indonesia. Rather than waiting for technology to advance, we must use the resources at our disposal to refine the critical metal today.

Indonesian nickel will become greener. Yet, for this to happen, economic development is crucial. Only with export receipts or foreign direct investment can we begin to reconfigure the energy system. For instance, Harita Nickel, Indonesia’s largest nickel producer, can only introduce renewables at its facilities on the shoulders of its economic success.

Of course, government initiatives can help: Caps and taxes on carbon emissions due to be introduced this year will help stimulate a broader shift away from coal, while new coal stations have been banned. But a genuine green transition in Indonesia ultimately hinges on capital.

Western cash promised under Just Transition partnerships—climate financing mechanisms to wean developing nations off fossil fuels—is not sufficient, regardless of whether pledges are actually delivered. This is not a call for free money but a statement of fact.

To bridge the significant shortfall, developing countries must be allowed to prosper from their existing natural resources so they can play an active role in the global green transition. We cannot and will not be reduced to spectators relying on handouts from benevolent powers

Meanwhile, for a green transition to maintain public buy-in within Indonesia, it must deliver employment and prosperity for the country’s citizens. In 2020, the government banned the export of raw nickel ore to capture more of the value chain. Investment has since flooded into the country.

Exports of nickel products have risen exponentially to $30 billion annually—the result of Indonesia’s dramatic surge in refining capacity. This year, the first battery power plant will open in Indonesia, a joint venture with South Korean manufacturers. It will create thousands of high-productivity jobs for Indonesians, foster technology transfer, and boost the country’s exports.

Similarly, the IRA was meant to foster U.S. employment, reduce the cost of green energy, and secure supply chains for critical minerals. Instead, it is effectively barring entry of the critical supplies that U.S. manufacturers need to deliver the goods and infrastructure on which transition depends.

In a worst-case scenario, the IRA could lock the United States out of the EV market entirely. S&P Global estimated that by 2035, 90 percent of global nickel supplies will not be covered by U.S. free trade agreements. This could make it impossible for U.S.-based manufacturers to satisfy demand, when supply chains are being forged today that could shape economic relations in the decades to come. A simple solution lies in the U.S.-Indonesian limited agreement that covers critical minerals.

U.S. lawmakers’ environmental concerns over the proposed free trade agreement are also buttressed by tensions between Beijing and Washington. Chinese firms are present in nickel refining in Indonesia. But so, too, are South Korean and even U.S. companies. U.S. manufacturers can source critical minerals from companies that do not run afoul of U.S. Treasury guidance. In fact, a free trade agreement would spur U.S. investment in Indonesia, which would secure its supply chains.

Unless, that is, the United States decides to impose an effective blanket ban on Indonesian nickel simply due to the presence of other nations in the industry. But such a move would contradict U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s reassurance that America’s Indo-Pacific allies should not be forced to choose between China and the United States. Ultimately, Indonesia’s nickel will be exported somewhere.

Indonesia holds its hands out to partner with all. It is up to Washington whether to shake those hands and create a greener future. But my country will not wait indefinitely.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan is Indonesia’s coordinating minister of maritime and investment affairs.

READ MORE ON GREEN TECHNOLOGY | INDONESIA | NATURAL RESOURCES | TRADE POLICY & AGREEMENTS

[url]https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/05/01/indonesia-nickel-green-energy-ev-fta-congress/#:~:text=Without[/url] Indonesian nickel%2C the United,share is projected to grow.