Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated over the weekend the $3.07-billion Patimban seaport—one of the government’s priority infrastructure projects—paving the way for a boost in the Southeast Asian country’s economy.
“I declare that Patimban Port is ready and can be used,” the president was quoted as saying in a report by Xinhua Agency.
The port is an infrastructure project located in the town of Subang, about 140 kilometers east of Jakarta. It will be built with financing support from the Japanese government.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Post over the weekend quoted Widodo as saying that the new port would play an important role in boosting the Indonesian economy that was heavily dampened by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Widodo, the first of the three phases had been finished.
“Amid the pandemic, one of the national strategic projects, Patimban, has been completed,” the president was quoted as saying.
“With its strategic location, I am sure that Patimban will be key in connecting different sectors, from industrial to manufacturing to agriculture and increasing exports.
The Patimban gateway was expected to be fully completed by 2027 and create thousands of jobs and enhance the country’s competitiveness in exports, particularly the automotive sector.
Earlier last month, South Korean car-maker Hyundai Motor Company announced that it would be producing electric vehicles in Indonesia by 2022 as the country plans to manufacture batteries for such vehicles.
Hyundai was to set aside as much as $1.55 billion through 2030 for the development, operations, and management of the facility.
According to the company, the factory would begin producing cars by the end of next year with a projected capacity of 150,000 cars by the second half of 2021. It would initially produce compact sport utility vehicles and sedans, and then hybrid vehicles thereafter.
The company said it was targeting to manufacture 250,000 vehicles when it becomes fully operational.
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