Indonesia pushes tin chemicals in downstream processing drive
BKPM wants processing to move beyond tin solder, with chemicals supplying bottle manufacturing and other industrial uses.
Indonesia’s Investment and Downstreaming Ministry/Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) is promoting tin chemicals as it seeks to broaden domestic processing and supply more manufacturing industries, deputy Heldy Satrya Putera said in Jakarta.
Speaking alongside the Indonesia Multistakeholder Critical Minerals Forum 2026, Heldy said processing should go beyond products such as tin solder. He identified bottle manufacturing and equipment containing tin as uses for tin chemicals.
Indonesia’s tin reserves rank second globally and represent approximately 16.3 per cent of the world total. Heldy said he hoped tin processing could follow nickel’s development, pointing to the domestic electric vehicle battery ecosystem established through nickel downstreaming.
State-owned miner PT Timah produced 12,232 tons of Sn in tin ore during the first half of 2026, up 75 per cent year-on-year. Its refined tin metal output reached 10,865 metric tons, an increase of 58 per cent.
Figures issued by Investment and Downstreaming Minister and BKPM head Rosan Roeslani put realised investment across Indonesia at Rp1,539.2 trillion through September 2026, creating 2.19 million new jobs. Downstreaming accounted for Rp480 trillion between January and September 2026.
Minerals contributed Rp335.1 trillion of downstream investment, followed by plantations and forestry at Rp83.6 trillion, oil and gas at Rp54 trillion, and fisheries and marine activities at Rp7.3 trillion. Locations outside Java received 78 per cent of downstream investment.
