Antara News·Indonesia·Monday, October 19, 2026 at 01:31 PM UTC

Govt targets up to US$50 billion in nickel exports by 2026

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Rolandus Nampu, Yashinta Difa

Sanur, Bali (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition, who also serves as Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister, Bahlil Lahadalia, has set a target for Indonesia’s nickel export value to reach between US$45 billion and US$50 billion by 2026.

This target is being driven by a downstreaming policy designed to increase the value-added of natural resources and strengthen Indonesia’s position within the global industrial supply chain.

"Our nickel exports reached US$34 billion in 2023, and I have set a target for 2026 to exceed US$40 billion—likely somewhere in the range of US$45 billion to US$50 billion,” Bahlil said during the Bali Tech Week 2026 forum in Sanur, Bali, on Monday.

Bahlil noted that downstreaming serves as a crucial instrument for shifting Indonesia’s economic model—moving away from a reliance on raw material exports toward an industrialization process that yields higher value-added products.

"This is a step forward in creating value-added for our commodities," he noted.

Bahlil underscored that the policy represents a vital structural shift in the national economy, despite international challenges such as trade disputes brought before the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Beyond nickel, the government's industrialization roadmap encompasses 28 distinct commodities spanning minerals, coal, oil and gas, as well as the agricultural, fisheries, and marine sectors.

To bring this downstreaming development, Jakarta estimates that cumulative investments of roughly $618 billion will be required through 2040.

Bahlil positioned downstreaming as a primary engine to lift national economic growth toward a target range of 6 percent to 8 percent, shifting the nation's economic drivers away from consumer spending and toward high-productivity industrial sectors.

The government anticipates that processing natural resources domestically will strengthen national industries, create job opportunities, and enhance the competitiveness of Indonesian products.

“This will serve as a catalyst for our economic growth, helping us push it toward a range of 6 percent to 8 percent," he stated.

Anchored in the mandate of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, the downstreaming strategy seeks to ensure that the nation's vast natural wealth generates tangible prosperity for the public.

By accelerating downstreaming, the government aims for Indonesia to evolve beyond being merely a global supplier of raw materials; it seeks to transform the nation into an industrial player capable of capturing greater value from the processing of its own natural resources.

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