Indonesia Eyes Dutch Expertise for $80 Billion Giant Sea Wall Project
Main Takeaways
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JAKARTA, Investortrust.id – Indonesia may turn to the Netherlands for help developing its ambitious Giant Sea Wall project, a $80 billion infrastructure effort aimed at protecting northern Java from rising sea levels and coastal flooding.
Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Anindya Novyan Bakrie, floated the idea of Dutch involvement during the Economic Mission from the Netherlands to Indonesia forum in Jakarta.
“In my remarks earlier, I touched on the potential cooperation for the giant sea wall,” Anindya said on Monday at the Shangri-La Hotel. “With investments flowing into Indonesia and the opportunity for technological collaboration, the Netherlands could certainly play a role.”
Learning from Dutch Expertise
Anindya highlighted the Netherlands’ reputation for advanced water management systems. The European country is home to Delta Works, one of the world’s most extensive sea defense projects, designed to shield its low-lying territory from storm surges and flooding.
“The Dutch are experts in sea wall construction – their entire country depends on it. It’s clearly a field where we can collaborate,” Anindya said.
His remarks came after bilateral discussions involving Dutch Deputy Minister for Foreign Economic Relations Michiel Sweers, who also attended the event alongside Indonesian Deputy Trade Minister Dyah Roro Esti, Dutch Ambassador Marc Gerritsen, and former Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
Massive Scale and Long-Term Commitment
The Indonesian government estimates the Giant Sea Wall project will cost around $80 billion (approximately Rp 1,280 trillion) and stretch over 700 kilometers from Banten province in the west to East Java. The megaproject, which has been discussed in various forms since the early 2010s, is expected to span multiple administrations over the next 15 years.
“This project is monumental in scale,” Anindya noted. “But if we begin in stages, as the President has suggested, I believe we can move forward.”
The sea wall is expected to not only protect densely populated areas like Jakarta but also serve as a catalyst for integrated urban development and climate resilience across Java’s northern coast.