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The belching chimneys of Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, a nickel processing complex in Central Sulawesi province, are powering the move to electric vehicles. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
The Big Story

Dirty metals for clean cars: Indonesian nickel could be key to EV battery industry

Rich nickel reserves attract Chinese investment but environmental hurdles remain

ERWIDA MAULIA, Nikkei staff writer | Indonesia

JAKARTA/MOROWALI, Indonesia -- A group of fishermen and their wives looked forlorn on the porch of their stilt houses, perched on the sandy coast of Indonesia's remote Bahodopi district.

Their homes, along with the few dozen others that make up the fishing hamlet, stood against a backdrop of towering cranes and billowing white smoke from the chimneys of Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), a sprawling nickel processing complex in Central Sulawesi province that hosts an array of Chinese companies and their partners, led by stainless steel giant Tsingshan Holding Group.

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