"Inside the Indonesian boomtowns powering the world’s electric vehicles", Grist, 8 October 2025

Driven by economic and social pressures, tens of thousands of workers from China, mostly middle-aged men, are employed in eastern Indonesia’s nickel industry, which has sprung up in the last decade. [...].

[...] Companies in Weda Bay and other industrial facilities also routinely confiscated Chinese employees’ passports to manage and control the workforce until late last year [...] Almost all Chinese workers live in residential quarters inside the compounds. They are often prevented from leaving the parks, with some only allowed to leave between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day [...].

“Terrified of losing their income, they are reluctant to organize and wary of speaking out in Indonesia,” [...].

[...] Wong recalled the instructor telling them there were more than 40 accidents in the industrial parks each year that resulted in severe injuries and even deaths. (Tsingshan Holding Group declined to corroborate this account when contacted by Grist.) “I didn’t understand much at the time,” [...].

[...] he burned the back of his right hand when metallic liquid from the furnace splashed at the exit of the waste tunnel as he was walking past. And one night after heavy rain, soon after he clocked out and left the furnace, Wong stepped on what he thought was a puddle, only to find out that it was a neck-deep pond. [...].

[...] An Indonesian colleague suffered severe injuries [...] Another Chinese worker walked onto the top of an electric furnace in wet working boots and was instantly electrocuted into unconsciousness. (Without commenting on individual incidents, the Weda Bay Industrial Park told Grist that all incidents are recorded and serious ones are “investigated thoroughly to strengthen training and improve operational safety standards.”)

[...] nothing hit closer to home for Wong than the explosion that occurred at the Morowali Industrial Park on Christmas Eve in 2023. [...].

[...] workers at the nickel-processing facilities, as well as residents nearby, were increasingly seeking care for respiratory diseases like tuberculosis, acute pharyngitis, and acute rhinitis. [...] villages surrounding it still lacked wastewater drainage systems and access to clean water [...].

the Morowali Industrial Park told Grist that it complies with “Indonesian laws regarding air, water, and solid waste, and have issued regulations for tenant companies” to improve. They said their companies “have invested in equipment for air treatment, wastewater, and hazardous or solid waste in accordance with regulations.”

In an email, the Weda Bay Industrial Park told Grist that the complex and all tenant companies are in “strict compliance with applicable laws, licensing requirements, and operational standards set by the Government of Indonesia.” The company remains committed to “maintaining open communication with stakeholders, and constructively addressing concerns through continuous improvement of its environmental management and community engagement programs.”

(Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs didn’t reply to requests for comment.)